Night Watchmen 03: Bones of Contention
by Ironbear
Summary: Aftermaths from the previous week's events put strain on Faith and the Scooby's relationships as she and Xander finish healing from their beatings. While elsewhere in Sunnydale, something new is haunting the various cemeteries...
1. Bones of Contention Prologue

_**An Alternate BtVS Season 3:**_**"Mortal Friends; Mortal Foes"**

_**Author:**_ Sherman Barnes aka "Ironbear"

_**Disclaimer:**_ _Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel the Series, and all characters from those series belong to Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon, 20th Century Fox Television, Kuzui Enterprises, UPN, Warner Brothers, and David Greenwalt Productions. I'm only borrowing them for the purposes of fanfiction, and only the plot and storyline, and those characters of my own creation belong to me. No profit is being made from this endeavor. Faith's back story draws __loosely__ from that shown in "Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary" by Robert Joseph Levy; Simon Spotlight Entertainment. Episode events and episode dialogue quotes, where used, are drawn from the transcripts and summaries at , Wikipedia, and the shooting scripts at (/buffyverse.asp)_

_**Author's Note: **__What if Faith had arrived earlier in Sunnydale and Buffy had returned a month later? What if the Mayor had had a slightly different goal? What if Spike never made it out of town following the love spell disaster, but met a different fate? Just how far apart is the line between "good slayer' and "evil slayer"? Diverges drastically from canon in many places, especially following "Lover's Walk" and "Bad Girls"._

_**Synopsis:**__ Aftermaths from the previous week's events put strain on Faith and the Scooby's relationship as she and Xander finish healing from their beatings,and Willow tries to come to terms with Xander's changed relationships with, her, Faith and Cordelia. In LA, Buffy continues to see Pike, even while trying to avoid letting LA's vampires draw her back into regular Slaying. And in Sunnydale, something new is haunting the various cemeteries... _

_**Word Count:**__ 29,432 total. 28,421 sans Disclaimer, Previouslies, and Credits._

**"Night Watchmen"**

_**A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Alternate Season 3 Prequel**_

_**Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:**_

_Los Angeles: __Walking to what Buffy would be tempted to laughingly call 'home', if it were really laughable, she decides to splurge on a newspaper and large cappuccino at one of the little coffee bars in the area. While paying at the register, she has a sudden startled moment as a vaguely familiar voice behind her calls out her name - her real one - and freezes, half way to spinning and bolting. "Buffy? Buffy Summers?" Rather than running, Buffy turns slowly, a sickly smile on her face. Her jaw almost drops when she connects the voice with the face looking back at her. "Pike?" Buffy's jaw falls open..._

_Sunnydale: __Faith rolls her eyes, following him "Har. Comedian." She narrows her eyes, "Ok, so here's the thing." Faith sprawls into the only other chair with her leg dangling over the arm. "Figure there's gotta be something in this area a Slayer can do to turn a buck. Nothing criminal, no working for demons or vamps, no leg breaking, but something that your normal, like, contractor can't do, y'know?" Willy stares at her, "You want me to recommend a job to you? Like, a job job?" Faith gives the ceiling a pained look, "Oh, for... " she shakes her head, glaring, "What, you think leather grows on trees? Or I have a trust fund or some shit?"_

_Sunnydale: __"What do you mean?" Faith pulls away from Xander and Cordy, Willow and Oz, and gestures to them. "This." She points back up Revello to the Summers house. "That." Faith sticks her hands in her back pockets and falls back beside Xander and Cordelia. "I never had anything like that. I've never __known__anything like that." She shrugs. "But... your mom and dad... ?" Willow started, then her eyes widen, and she catches Xander's warning head shake far too late to stop. "My mom?" Faith __lengthens her stride and spins to walk backwards facing them. "Dad split when I was a kid. You wanna know what my mom did for dinner when I was little, Red? Huh?" She is suddenly blazingly angry for no reason she could understand, and far too frustrated to hold it in. Willow nods numbly, and Cordelia bites her lip, her eyes wide.__.._

_Sunnydale: __"Good." The boss demon gives Faith a satisfied smirk. "Now do her friend while she watches, to punctuate the message. She fights, put a load of buckshot through her legs." He pauses, then adds almost as an afterthought, "Oh, yeah - you don't want to go to the hospital with this. We check? Your socialite friend gets to have a party. You'll both heal on your own and the lesson will stick better." When the first blow hits Xander, she turns her head to glare at the boss demon until one of the thugs yanks her head around. After that, she locks her eyes on Xander's while they beat him and doesn't look away again. But her eyes burn like coals behind the flat, brown stare, way down deep at the core of her being..._

_Sunnydale: __"Yup. And you think Faith's going to get up in a day or so and make like a good little tame Slayer and play nice?" Cordelia snorts. "Oh, please." She catches his eyes. "__Listen__ to me, Harris. No __one__ is going to beat __my__ only two friends half to death and then strut around like some two bit gangster Angelus." Her eyes go hard and his breath catches in his throat, "This is the way it goes. They use a knife, we use a gun. They put two of us in the hospital, we put __all__ of them in the morgue." Xander stares at her for a long minute. "Friends, huh?" The corner of his mouth curls up in a lopsided grin._

_**...**_

_**Prologue: Quit Orkin Up and Get Back to Slaying - **_

_**Monday August 17, 1998; early night, near the Sunnydale dumps.**_

"Eeugh!! Yuck!" Cordelia raked fingers through her hair, attempting to scrape out as much gunk as humanly possible. It was definitely a lost cause - most likely it was going to require industrial grade shampoo and conditioner, and maybe a fire hose, to do the job. She looked down at her clothes and gave up, throwing her hands up in disgust. "This stuff is _never_ coming out."

"Well, if you hadn't _wallowed_ in the stuff," Faith remarked. She gave her axe a disgusted look, as well.

Cordelia gave her a glare that would have burnt through steel, getting an enormous Faith grin for her troubles. Cordelia shook her head, hiding a grin of her own, and let her sword slump tiredly.

"You were the one who decided to drop a big, flat rock on the egg sack thingy," Xander observed. He got the New and Improved version of the glare she'd favored Faith with, and gulped hastily, "Not that it wasn't an excellent plan, and, man do I have to admire you for coming up with it and having the nerve to pull it off and - "

"Can it, Dweeb," Cordelia snarled and went back to picking monster bits out of her hair. "I have a Faith, and I can talk her into hurting you badly."

"Shutting up now. Yes dear." He mimed locking his lips and threw a 'help me?' look at Faith. Faith smirked back.

"You are so whipped, Harris," Faith said. She turned to give the mouth of the tunnel they'd emerged from a disgusted look, "Man. Insect demons the size of pit bulls?" Faith shook her head, "And I thought Boston cockroaches were big."

"Don't forget the Queen," Xander said, shuddering.

"Oh yeah. Ten legs, pincers, and all. Upgrade that to bugs the size of ponies." Faith shook her head, "I'm glad they weren't _roach_ demons."

"Jeeze," Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Let's save the post-Slay remembrance until we have to do it for Giles."

"Suits," Faith shrugged.

"Next time, let's remember to do like Will and Oz and have a gig or something out of town when the subject of 'a small disturbance near the dump' comes up, huh?" Xander said.

"Yeah, I guess." Faith stuck her hands in her pockets and looked down, scuffing the dirt with her toe. "Whatever."

Xander exchanged looks with Cordelia and then sent an apologetic one at Faith. The... while they'd had a surface make up with Willow, since the beating and mob demon thing, Will had been treating the three of them with just a bit of frosty distance. _Especially_ Cordelia and Faith. It rolled straight off of Cordy, naturally, but it definitely seemed to bug Faith.

Xander figured that the fact that the three of them were still living in Cordelia's pool house wasn't helping spring thaw arrive any time soon.

"Call it a night and head back?" Faith looked up, her trademark smirk back in place. She caught the apologetic look, and gave Xander a small grin and shrug, acknowledging that she wasn't mad at him.

"By way of the school - to use the showers there to sluice off and change first. No _way_ are we tracking this stuff in at home on our way to the shower," Cordelia stated. "_And_ we're putting a tarp on the convertible seats."

"Works," Faith agreed.

"Huh. Think we got 'em all?" Xander threw a glance back at the tunnel exit.

"If we didn't, _Giles_ can go in after the rest," Cordelia said. "With a letter opener. Euugh!"

"Break from slaying tomorrow at Shoreline Amusement Park?" Xander suggested, hopefully. "After we get done with the obligatory Giles briefing?"

"Roller coasters, hit the beach after?" Faith looked up, a small grin beginning to tug at her lips. "I can swing through the cemeteries tonight so Giles can't say I'm slacking."

"Hmm. Sure. After I do the masseuse thing tomorrow," Cordelia nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

_**...**_

_**Monday August 17, 1998; Sunnydale, **__**Shady Hill Cemetery, not long past dark.**_

"Through a graveyard?! Eeew."

"Oh, come on." Pushing open the gates to Shady Hill Cemetery, Rick Lake pulled on his protesting girlfriend's hand, drawing her after him. "You don't really _believe_ some of the weirder stories about this town, do you? C'mon - it's a fast way back to where we left the car."

"I guess not," Carolynn Dumas, said, her tone doubtful. Every town had a few bizarre legends to use to frighten new residents with, and even if Sunnydale seemed to have more than its normal share, no one they'd met so far seemed to give them much credit.

"Yeah. Just bogeyman stories to scare the tourists away," Rick led the way down the path across the cemetery.

Roughly two thirds across Shady Hill, on the branching path leading to the street they'd parked on before going for a evening walk, it got darker as the path lighting fell into disrepair.

"Just a bit farther, and we're out, see?"

"Yeah. Let's hurry," Carolynn suggested. Tall tales or no, she still didn't want to spend more time here than they needed to to get across. Graveyards were... icky. Especially at night.

"No problem," Rick stated. A guttural sound came out of the darkness somewhere far too nearby.

"Uh... what was that?" Carolynn's voice took on more than a slight edge of fear.

"Stray dogs?" Rick paused, trying to peer into the gloom. His voice sounded a bit doubtful to Carolynn. They had noticed a lack of stray animals on Sunnydale's streets in the few weeks since their respective parents had moved here. Locals shrugged it off, when asked. Efficient animal control.

Never mind that the paper seemed to always have a lot of 'unexplained animal attack' stories, she suddenly remembered...

Rick's voice suddenly took on a hoarse note of panic as shadowy figures and glowing eyes boiled out of a nearby mausoleum. Carolynn screamed, then screamed louder as Rick was suddenly jerked off of his feet and began being drawn rapidly across the gravel off of the pathway. His shout cut off abruptly with a gurgling noise.

She screamed again as she felt something snatch at the leg of her jeans, spun back, and took off running blindly in the direction from which they'd come. Back towards the working path lights and possible safety.

She was still screaming when taloned, bony hands yanked her feet out from under her, and she was hauled backwards to disappear into the darkened interior of the old crypt.

_**...**_


	2. Chapter 1: Attitude Adjustments

**Episode 1c:**

**"Bones of Contention"**

_by Ironbear_

**Starring:**

Elisha Dushku as "Faith"

Sarah Michelle Gellar as "Buffy Summers"

Anthony Stewart Head as "Rupert Giles"

Nicholas Brendan as "Alexander 'Xander' Harris"

Alyson Hannigan as "Willow Rosenberg"

Charisma Carpenter as "Cordelia Chase"

Seth Green as "Daniel 'Oz' Osbourne"

**Co-Starring:**

Kristine Sutherland as "Joyce Summers"

Saverio Guerra as "Willy the Snitch"

**Guest Starring:**

Luke Perry as "Oliver Pike"

J. August Richards as "Charles Gunn"

Michele Kelly as "Alonna Gunn"

Jarrod Crawford as "Rondell"

Lucinda Jenney as "Janice"

Cindy Drummond as Diner Waitress

**Chapter 1: Attitude Adjustments -**

_**Tuesday August 18, 1998; Sunnydale Highschool Library, mid-morning.**_

Rupert Giles adjusted his glasses, watching as Cordelia dumped a stack of large books on the main library table with a thump and a grunt of effort. He'd been rather expecting Faith and Xander when he'd heard the main doors open.

"Pshew! Jeeze," Cordelia blew a strand of hair out of her eyes, complaining. "What do they make these things out of? Lead lined gold leaf?" She worked her shoulders and put a hand to the small of her back.

"Very dense paper, no doubt," Giles said in a bemused tone. "I was wondering where those went."

"Oh, we needed to look something up," Cordelia said in an offhand fashion. She arched an elegant eyebrow and added, "We would have asked a librarian, but _ours_ turned up missing."

"ahem I-I see," Giles said, still bemused.

"Kewel." Cordelia patted her hair back into place, and gave him the brilliant Cordelia Chase smile. "Well, that's one off the list. Next!" She spun on her heel, tossing a cheery, "Toodles!" over her shoulder.

"D-d-did you find the references you needed, by chance?" Giles voice called her back.

"No problem," she said.

"Ah, I wonder, Cordelia," his voice caused her to turn again with a look of annoyance. "Might I have a private word with you before you rush off?" Giles indicated the office, adding, "Please, if you would."

"Oh, fine." Cordelia shook her head and stalked past him, "But I'd better _not_ be late for my masseuse."

"I shall endeavor to do my very best to not stand in the way of that most important of matters," Giles said in a dry tone, following her.

Giles leaned against his desk and took off his glasses to polish, carefully observing Cordelia as he indulged in the familiar mannerism. She in turn, leaned against one of the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and regarded him back with a bemused expression.

She grinned suddenly, "You blinked first."

"I-I beg your pardon?"

"Whoever blinks first loses the battle of wills," Cordelia said. "Duh."

Giles chuckled, "I see. I rather hadn't realized we were engaged in one."

"Everything is a battle of will," Cordelia said seriously, tilting her head slightly and losing the grin. "I'm starting to realize that, more and more."

Giles nodded, "You've never been accused of being unperceptive, that I know of."

"Shows what _you_ know," the smile came back, at full wattage.

"Yes, well. I certainly won't pretend to know everything," Giles returned the smile with a smaller one. "From the titles I saw in that stack, may I surmise that you and your compatriots encountered a demonic issue of some sort while I was away?"

"Compatriots. I like that," Cordelia mused. "It sounds so much _classier_ than 'partners in crime'." She tilted her head, regarding him, "You may."

"Might I inquire as to the nature of the situation?" Giles replaced the glasses and looked at her.

"No."

Giles blinked. "Er, no I might not, or no, you won't answer?"

"Both," Cordelia stated. Her cool regard was beginning to be a bit disconcerting, Giles found.

"I see." To cover both his discomfort and his rather nonplussed state, he removed his glasses to re-polish. "If, perchance this involved my Slayer... " He began.

"No, it didn't involve Buffy at all." Cordelia said.

Giles blinked, spluttering, "I, er, didn't mean Buffy, Cordelia. Faith is _also_ my Slayer."

"I'm sure." Cordelia replied. The temperature in the room seemed to drop an apparent twenty degrees, suddenly.

Giles glanced down, saw that he was still holding his glasses, and replaced them. He crossed his arms and regarded Cordelia over the tops of the frames. "I seem to be gathering the distinct impression, Cordelia, that you are rather displeased with me."

"Duh."

"I see," he said. He paused for a long moment, considering. "It obviously concerns Buffy and Faith in some fashion. Would you care to please elaborate so that I might know _exactly_ what I'm being excoriated for? If for nothing else, so that I may offer suitable contrition?" The last came out a bit exasperated.

In turn, Cordelia studied him long enough that he began to fear she wasn't going to respond at all. Finally, she said, "I'm not certain I can, and I'm fairly sure I don't care to."

"I see." Giles nodded. "That makes it difficult. Since it regards Faith, I rather must insist."

"No, Giles. You are _not_ going to rush me on this." Cordelia replied, suddenly seeming much older than her apparent eighteen years, "I'm going to lean here and study you while I consider this all the way through, and if I decide to keep my peace after considering, I'm going to leave. Deal."

"I see." Giles nodded again. He made himself comfortable in his position leaning upon the desk, and regarded her back as she fixed him with an intense, if slightly distracted, scrutiny.

After a time, Cordelia nodded. "Ok, Giles. Only if I have your word that this stays _absolutely_ between the two of us. And _only_ because I think there's things here I can't handle on my own."

"Hmm. Provisionally," Giles said. "If it concerns Faith's welfare, I cannot promise absolute confidence."

"No. No provisionally. No using it to weasel things out of Faith, or Xander, or Willow. No Watcher's Council. I may be a shallow, insincere, and dislikable bitch, but I _don't_ betray people I care about." Cordelia raised her chin slightly, and added, "Complete confidence, or you can dig for it on your own - without me."

Giles stared at her. Finally, he gave her a grudging nod, along with a frosty glare. "Agreed. You have my word on my Oath as a Watcher that I shall keep this conversation in utmost confidence." He made an arcane sign with the fingers of one hand as he mentioned his Oath. And, for all the good he thought it might do, he then upped the amperage on the glare slightly, adding, "Now, would you please?"

Cordelia's eyes went distant for a moment, then she nodded. She straightened from the book case and set the lock on the office door, before resuming her position at the bookcase and saying, seriously, "Ok. But don't make me regret this. All started with a visit by Xander and Faith to Willy's on Wednesday night before patrol... "

Giles listened for a long time, only interrupting to ask questions he thought were absolutely pertinent, or to clarify details. After she finished, he was silent for a time. He removed his glasses and polished them carefully, staring into the distance for a few minutes, and considered.

Finally, "Rather neatly done, Cordelia. I cannot even in _remotely_ good conscience suggest that that was a horribly dangerous and insane manner with which to deal with those thugs, considering that I was clearly not here to offer advice - nor assistance - when you needed it."

"Suggest away," Cordelia waved that off. "You don't think we all _knew_ it was insane? Even Faith? Please. We didn't see any other way." She shrugged, ticking things off on her fingers, "Leave Sunnydale for my parents cabin to hide, and leave you to walk in blind? Hide at my pool house and get ambushed whenever we had to go out? Wait, and risk the same thing? Wait, and have Xander and Faith fall completely apart from the tension and wig out?" She shook her head, "We saw a chance to catch them fat, dumb, and arrogant, thinking they'd intimidated Faith, and used it. It just happened to work."

"Indeed." Giles looked at the young woman carefully, and seriously. "I do have to object to one of your statements. You are neither insincere, unlikable, nor shallow - a shallow woman wouldn't have been able to do what you did."

"I notice you didn't correct me on the bitch part," Cordelia nearly blinded him with the thousand watt grin.

"Well, yes. That part of your self appraisal does have _some_ merit," Giles returned the grin, a bit tentatively. Her grin brightened slightly. "How are young Harris and Faith dealing with the situation and aftermaths?"

"Badly," Cordelia stated, flatly. Then she tilted her head with a considering expression. "Let me take that back: pretty well, considering. _I'd_ be a gibbering wreck right now." She shrugged, "Xander's ok, but the grin is pasted on at odd times, the jokes get manic, and he gets real quiet when he thinks no one is watching him. Faith is... quiet, which is unusual for her. And she seems to need casual touching more often. Reassurance?"

"Quite probably. A need to be certain that both of you are there?"

"And that Xander's really ok. She watches him like a hawk when he's not looking. Or like, a guard panther. And neither of them can sleep alone yet." Cordelia gave him a serious look, "So, the confidentiality. If either of them knew I told you – told anyone - that, I'd lose both of them. They'd never trust me again."

"Quite possibly. However, that part wouldn't have made sense without knowing what led to it." Giles shook his head, "I'm at a bit of a loss as to exactly what to do to aid you. The... practical psychology they give to Watcher's is.. spotty at best. More designed to patch up a slayer emotionally and get them back into the fight, rather than for long term healing."

Cordelia nodded, "That explains a lot." Giles started, slightly, and hunched a bit.

"Yes... " he trailed off. "While I can understand your feeling, er, out of your depth, a bit, you do seem to be doing exactly what is needed."

"But it can't last. The parents will be home on the 31st, and Xander can't stay. Faith could - but she's already making noises about going back to her own place when they get back."

Giles nodded, and looked thoughtful. "I'll give that some consideration. Perhaps I can offer suggestions." He gave Cordelia a piercing look, "This would also account for some of the... strain I've noticed between Xander, Faith, and young Willow?"

"Duh." Cordelia took on an introspective look, "Don't worry. I've handled Willow for now. Hopefully it'll last until Xander's up to dealing with her."

"And that might have been simpler also with an additional party involved," Giles sighed heavily. "My apologies."

"I can't accept," Cordelia stated. She waved it of again, continuing, "Not all bad. Faith and Xander are almost glued together at the spines now. The awareness between them, even across a room, is like walking into a high tension wire. Probably from sharing the beatings, and supporting each other for over a mile afterwards?"

"And sharing the recovery, perhaps. You see similar in recovered prisoners of war, at times," Giles stated. He gave her a serious look, "It's not merely between Xander and Faith, I've noticed."

Cordelia frowned slightly, then caught his meaning and ducked her head, looking pleased under the sudden fall of dark hair. "Well... Faith says it makes for a bond."

"Souls that have toiled, and wrought, and thought with me," Giles recited, adding to her blank look, "Ulysses, by Tennyson. Bonds closer than brothers."

Cordelia nodded seriously, "I'll have to grab it from the stacks some time."

"I'll lend you my copy. For an institution of supposed education, this one is sadly lacking in the classics." Giles sighed heavily, again, glancing away, "You do realize that as long as there's a possibility of locating Buffy, I _cannot_ be here all the time."

"I realize that _Buffy_ took off on her own, by choice. _And_ I realize that Faith needs a Watcher." Cordelia cocked her head, and gave Giles a frank look, "No. _Faith_ needs _you_. She likes you. Someone like Kendra's absentee reprogrammer Watcher would do more harm than good." Cordelia's face went unreadable for a moment, "It's not all about Buffy, Giles."

Giles opened his mouth, and decided that he really didn't have anything to say to that, and closed it again. Instead, he shook his head slowly and looked through the bookcase just above her head.

The megawatt smile came back, and Cordelia said, brightly, "And on _that _note, I'm off. Later." She unlocked the door, pausing, "_Oh_ – they'll be in later to give you the post-slay log." She swept out, and he could hear her heels clicking out through the main doors and down the hall for a long time.

**...**

_**Sunnydale High Scool Library, late-late morning.**_

"Ok, so that's pretty much it, Giles," Faith shrugged. "Bugs whacked, egg sack stomped, nest fragged." She grinned, "I even managed to hit a few cemeteries after and clean out newbies."

"I see," Giles leaned back and studied his charge. Er, two charges, now, he'd suppose. "Anything to add, Xander?"

"Not really. Slay-gal here covered it," Xander threw his lopsided grin at Faith, and got a wink and a rough shake of the shoulder back. "Oh – yeah, guess: the Molotov cocktail thing did a good job on sealing them in and frying the smaller ones." He spread his hands apart, "If you wanna call bug demons the size of a Doberman 'smaller'."

"Excellent," Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, tiredly, before looking back up with a slight smile. "Rather nice job, all three of you."

"I think in English that means 'you wacky kids done real good'," Xander jokingly translated to Faith. She nodded.

"Quite. Although I'm afraid I haven't a clue what you just said, I'll hope it was accurate," Giles shook his head. Xander smirked. Giles looked at Faith, "I gather that since you undertook patrolling on top of clearing the S'krith nest, you have in mind something other than patrolling this evening?"

"Can't put nothing past you, huh, G?" Faith grinned. Without Cordelia's insights, Giles might have missed, or misinterpreted the slight shadowing behind Faith's eyes. Faith went on, "Well, yeah. We thought we'd head up to Santa Barbara and go hit the amusement park by Shoreline."

"And beach-and-pier it after," Xander added. He made large soulful eyes, "Please Mr. Giles, can Faithy come out and play? Huh? Can she?"

Faith raised both eyebrows in what Giles was learning to translate as her 'I'll get you' look, and mouthed, 'Faithy?' at Xander.

Giles snorted, hiding a small grin. "Oh, I suppose. Get off with you then – take the day off. Sunnydale will probably survive _one_ night without you three."

"Wicked," Faith said. She frowned, afterwards, pausing, and exchanged a look with Xander. "Almost forgot."

Faith stood up, digging into a back pocket of her cut-off jeans, pulling something out and tossing it on the table before him. "Ever see anything like that?"

"Hmm." Giles picked it up curiously, examining it. It appeared to be a small plasticine packet filled with a red, crystalline powder, similar to a drug envelope. "No, I can't say I have. Not in this form, at least."

Faith raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Misspent youth, Giles?"

"Ah, quite. I'm sure Xander has tales he can relate, if he hasn't done so already." Giles raised his eyes to hers, "Where did you come across this, may I ask?"

"Uh," Faith and Xander exchanged another pair of looks. Faith shrugged, "We kinda found 'em in this vamp lair we raided over on Willston." She added, "While you were away this last time."

"You took out a nest?" Giles removed his glasses and set them on the table, looking between the two of them. He resisted the impulse to snap anything, instead saying mildly, "I'm going to assume that you're aware that taking out a lair is dangerous, and skip that portion." He saw a flicker of relief in both teens. "Do tell me about it, please."

"Well... " With a bit of prompting, the pair explained how they'd discovered the lair, then scouted, planned it out, and finally dusted it. And what Giles gathered was probably an abbreviated account of their findings there.

"A dozen, you say? Plus more downstairs?" He sighed, replacing his glasses and looking seriously at both of them. "Well, you do seem to have planned this foray, and taken all due precautions. Also, you seem to have done a thoroughly workmanlike job of taking it down."

Faith nodded seriously, hiding a grin. "Well, yeah. Slayer, vamps, dust cloud. Figured taking 'em out at home keeps fewer on the streets, you know?"

"Quite." Giles gave them both a mildly reproving look, "Do, in the future, remember that nests can be extremely dangerous since it's difficult to know exactly how many adversaries they contain, and perhaps scout them for a bit longer period before taking them. However... it does sound like excellent work." He glanced at the envelope, "I'll see if I can determine what this is. Or, possibly have Willow attempt to analyze some of it when she and Oz return."

"Cool," Faith said, and Xander nodded. Giles caught a flicker of something go over both of their faces at the mention of Willow and Oz..

"I figured I'd run the other one by Willy and see what I can shake out of him on it," Faith remarked, very casually. Since he was watching both of them, Giles had no problems seeing the bleak look in both Faith's and Xander's eyes when she mentioned Willy's, and the way that Faith's went flat, opaque, and very dark afterwards.

"It sounds like a decent avenue to explore," Giles said. "All right. Once you get back, you might keep your eyes open, all of you, for anything... unusual in the graveyards, as well." At their curious glances, he explained, "There seem to have been an odd assortment of grave violations recently."

Xander and Faith exchanged looks again and almost at once said, "Another Franken-jock maker?" and "Zombies?" over each other.

"Franken-jock?"

Xander gave her a half grin, "Beach sitting story – Cordy and I can fill you in later." They both looked expectantly back to Giles.

"Not quite certain," Giles admitted. "They don't seem to fit the patterns of either of those." He sighed, then clapped his hands softly, smirking at them, "Well, if there's nothing else of import? Then feel free to err, scurry off and be about your... fun."

"Sure." Both of them grinned and jumped up, Faith putting a hand casually to the small of Xander's back to move him along. "Run, don't walk, boy toy – before he changes his mind."

"Yes mamn." Xander smirked back at her.

"Oh... Faith?" Giles called out before she completely exited the library.

"Yeah?" Faith paused at the door, glancing back.

"Faith, I know that you're rather far from anything familiar to you here. You should be aware, in turn, that being a Watcher carries a certain obligation, to me at least, to act en loco parentis when I can," Giles paused, polishing his glasses. "You are aware that while I'm your Watcher, you may feel free to come to me with anything that you wish to discuss? It doesn't have to be slaying or training related only."

"Act as a crazy parent? Sure you can manage?" Faith gave him a sudden, startled smile, followed by a serious look and a nod. "Yeah. And if I do, I will." She grinned, "Laters."

Giles nodded absently after the main doors closed behind her, removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose for a long time. After a bit, he stood heavily to return to his office. He felt a sudden need for a spot of medicinal single malt.

"Oh, bugger all." Giles paused, shaking his head. "No, not certain at all. I really have no earthly _idea_ what I'm doing with children."

**...**

_**Tuesday August 18, 1998; Los Angeles, Helen's Diner, evening.**_

"Pickup, Lacey," Janice called out to the other waitress. The dark-haired girl nodded and headed for the order window. Janice stopped Buffy as she went past on her way to do side-work. "Hey, grab a minute with me, Anne."

"Sure," Buffy's head bobbed distractedly. "Let me set these down." She set the tray of sugar shakers on the counter for refilling, then came back and slumped at the counter near Janice. "What's up?"

"Been thinking," Janice ran the back of her hand across her forehead, looking tired. "How'd you like to get off rotating shifts?"

"Huh?" Buffy looked up, surprised. Newer girls always got rotation for shifts, and even after a coupe of months, Buffy was still one of the least senior of any Helen's wait staff. "Which shift?"

Janice's eyes narrowed slightly, but she laughed. "Good - ask, don't jump." She grinned. "Lucia wants to move to nights permanently, and since that newest gal walked, that leaves us short on second. Figured since you seem to like that one best and you're picking up some regulars... "

"Second shift, permanent?" Buffy's eyes widened slightly, and she nodded. Most of Helen's waitresses preferred first or third, for the dinner and breakfast rush and the bar crowds where tips were best. Still, second would let her sleep in mornings and it let out early enough to do evening things before it got too late and everything was closed. And the supper crowd tips weren't bad if you had regulars. Fewer obnoxious drunks, too.

"Sure," Buffy nodded. "I'd like that."

"Good. Consider yourself moved," Janice grinned. "Ok - close to shift end, so grab that last customer: it's booth three, single, then finish your side work, and call it a day."

"All right," Buffy pulled out her pad and headed to booth three.

"Hey there, Anne. What's up?"

The familiar voice startled her and she looked up, pen frozen near the pad.

"Hey! It's Gunn, right?" Buffy smiled and the young man nodded. "Two ehns, name not firearm."

"You got it," Gunn grinned. "Hey - let me have a double cheeseburger, cheese fries, and a coke. Please, an' you don't mind."

"What I'm here for," Buffy nodded, jotting it down. "Bit out of your area, aren't we?"

"Hey, the MT goes everywhere, girl," Gunn's teeth flashed at her. "Happened to be out this way and got hungry."

"Cool," Buffy grinned back. "Got it. I'll bring your coke."

She stuck the ticket on the wheel, calling out the order, took his drink out, and then buried herself in sidework to start finishing up.

Finally heading out, she took off briskly down the sidewalk, only to hear a voice call out from behind her.

"Yo, wait up." Buffy turned to see Gunn heading out of the diner behind her. "I'll walk you aways."

"Ok, now you're getting all stalkery," Buffy laughed.

"Naw, naw. Nuthin' like that," Gunn shook his head, grinning back. "Naw, our momma raised me a gentleman. This ain't the Badlands, but still a rough neighborhood, and -"

"And a gentleman always walks a lady home?" Buffy said. Gunn shrugged, and she shook her head. "I can take care of myself," she teased.

"Hey now - who said I was protecting _you_?" Gunn said, shaking his head. "I'm gettin' all scared out here in this neighborhood. 'Nuff to take the Black outta me."

"And you need a big tough waitress to protect you," Buffy nodded seriously, looking _way_ up at him, biting her lip. "Ok, now I know you're teasing."

"Well, yeah." Gunn shrugged. "Gotta admit it's a good routine, though, right?"

"Oh yeah," Buffy gave up, giggling. "Ok, we head this way. I'll make sure the boogey man doesn't get you." She gave him a serious glance, "Thanks. For the 'Anne' thing in there."

"Hey, I'm all about calling people what they want to be called." Gunn said, waving it off, "You want to be an Anne, it's no skin off me. That's what LA is all about: remaking yourself."

Buffy's lips twitched into a smile, "Personal experience?"

"Oh no. I'm happy with who I am," Gunn said. He winked at her and she laughed. "Hey, long as you're being all bodyguard and shit, I had a thought."

"Think away. I believe I have two cents here," Buffy said.

"Might want to wait on that, wouldn't want to overcharge you now," Gunn stated. "See, we got this thing coming up, couple nights from now, and I noticed the other night that you got some nice moves, girl. And you got," he spread his hands,"Like something, doan know what. My crew could use the extra muscle, and I thought you might help."

"This thing involve people with facial deformities and like, huge teeth and appetites?" Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"Well, yeah."

Buffy shook her head, "Like I said: I'm not doing that any more. The other night was a flukey thing."

"You sure? You sure looked like you were getting all into it, there," Gunn said, seriously.

"I'm sure."

"All right," Gunn nodded, and glanced away, "We could use the help, though. Might keep some of my crew, or my sis alive a bit longer. I ain't too proud to ask."

"And now you're guilting me," Buffy said, chewing on her lower lip. "No. I'm... I got away from all that. I _don't_ want to go back."

"Right." Gunn shook his head. "All right. Not gonna push." He gave her a serious look, "You do change your mind, we're doing the urban survival thing at an abandoned apartment building near the edge of the Badlands, few blocks from where Pike works. He knows how to find us."

"I'm sorry, I really am, but.. " Buffy shook her head.

"S'allright." Gunn shook his head, "No problem. Look - think I can maybe brave the neighborhood from here with my bad self. You take care, now." he nodded to her and turned and headed across the street.

Buffy watched him go, chewing on her lower lip again and sighing.

**...**

_**Tuesday August 18, 1998; Santa Barbara, California, near sundown.**_

"Ok, now this was cool," Faith said. She thought about it for a minute, then nodded emphatically. "Seriously."

"But not wicked cool?" Xander glanced over at her, smirked, and went back to watching the sun drop behind the Pacific. He rubbed small circles on Cordelia's back, her sitting next to him, and she sighed contentedly.

"Well, if we'd gone for one more round on the Snakebite, I _might_ have gone all the way up to 'wicked'." A white flash of teeth accompanied Faith's words.

"Fun, definitely," Cordelia said. She took a ladylike slug from her soda and nodded to herself. "But one more ride, and they'd have been cleaning Xander's insides off of the six seats behind us."

"Hey!"

"Oh, you were so green you looked like Kermit, Harris," Cordelia said, smirking.

"Don't you dare hold up your finger and ask us if we want to smell Miss Piggy, neither," Faith warned.

"Eeeeeewww!" Cordelia shuddered. "_Gross_!"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," Xander said in a lofty tone. "Mostly because I'm not sure what 'dignify' means, but that's beside the point."

Faith snickered, then grumbled, "Why couldn't they have built the Hellmouth under Santa Barbara?"

"Huh. And watching the Hellmouth beast eat the Summer Solstice Parade on national television would have been such a big draw, too," Xander said. "These people just have _no_ concept of what makes for a top tourist attraction."

"Jeeze," Cordelia remarked. She reclined back to lay on her side propped up on one elbow next to Xander. "And I _so_ used to have class before I started hanging out with you two."

"Yes! Corruption Phase One accomplished, Faith!"

"Yup. Next she'll be drinking Anchor Steam and table dancing," Faith smirked.

"You wish!" Cordelia rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Uh, no I didn't. My brain's still melted from the 'table dancing' image," Xander said. His eyes glazed over slightly and Cordelia slapped him on the stomach - _lightly_, still mindful of his bruises - and glared. "Ow."

"Think we found him a new theme," Faith laughed. "But, this is cool, anyway." Her voice came out soft and the other two got the impression she wasn't just talking about the amusement park outing, or the beach sitting.

"I'm still kinda freaking out," Xander said, quietly. Both girls nodded. "I mean," Xander continued, "I keep wanting to say something stupid, er, stupider than _usual_," he added at the two girl's smirks, "And make both of you hate me so I can go back to normal."

Faith nodded. Cordelia grinned, saying, "We all got naked together. It makes for freaking."

"Huh? No! There was no nakedness!" Xander stated. "I was watching carefully and praying for it even!"

"Oh, but there _was_," Cordelia batted her eyelashes. "We just didn't invite _you_," she smirked, and Xander spluttered. "Doofus," Cordelia swatted him again. "You know what I meant."

"Yup. But he was still hoping," Faith smirked, nodding. "If Kermit there is back to what we're afraid is normal for him, what say we go shop hop along Stearn's and then grab something at The Harbor and pier sit after?"

"I'm there," Cordelia said. She stood and grabbed a hand to haul a grumbling Xander up. "C'mon, Harris. Pack mule time."

**...**


	3. Chapter 2: When You're Wight

**Chapter 2: When You're Wight, You're Wight - **

_**Wednesday August 19, 1998; Sunnydale High School Library, late-late morning.**_

"Hey, Red," Faith said as she wandered into the library, sprawling into a chair across from Willow at the main table. "Didn't know you guys got back already."

"Hmm?" Willow looked up her book, and nodded. "Oh yeah. Late last night." Her tone was a bit cool, even if not completely unfriendly. She went back to reading.

Faith resisted an urge to roll her eyes. This was getting a bit old, already. She wasn't sure yet if she really liked the little red head, but she damned sure didn't dislike her, and as far as she was concerned she hadn't gone out of her way to piss Willow off.

"Figure out anything about that red stuff?" Faith asked, drumming her fingertips on the table top.

"Huh? Oh no - haven't started on it yet, really." Willow shrugged.

"Ah."

"No Xander?" Willow asked, curiously.

"Naw. I'm up for training - didn't see any need to wake him up," Faith stated.

"Oh. Ok," Willow's mouth tightened briefly, and she went back to reading.

Both of them went silent for a long time, a long time being about ten minutes for Faith. She glanced across at Willow's book, trying to read it upside down.

"So, whatcha working on?" Faith carefully kept a smirk off of her face as Willow glanced up again with touch of annoyance.

"Helping Giles look up grave robbing demons, for just in case that's what we might have," Willow said, and went back to it. Her brow furrowed slightly.

"Oh. Yeah."

Another ten minutes crawled by. Faith alternated between tapping her fingers and shifting positions every once in awhile, covertly watching Willow hunch a bit deeper into her book at each movement.

Finally, Faith glanced across the table casually, and said, "I'm really not trying to steal your friend, Red. Not trying to get him killed, neither."

Willow sighed heavily, and looked up, slamming the book shut. She straightened in her chair, and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"I know," Willow said, sighing again. "I think. Or at least my head knows that."

"But you're not sure where it counts," Faith nodded. She paused, looking away. "Y'know, he can be friends with both of us."

"Can he?" Willow said. She threw her hands up in a frustrated gesture, "Sorry. I didn't mean that, really." Faith nodded and Willow stared at her, adding, "It's just that... every thing's turned all upside down and all around now. Xander's patrolling with you all the time. _Cordelia's_ the one he's turning to for stuff, and she's been like... the enemy for forever."

"And he got beat half to death with me while you were out elsewhere with Oz, yup." Faith nodded. "And Cordy saved us."

"Right," Willow said, frowning.

"Cordy's not the enemy, either," Faith added.

"Says you," Willow muttered. Then she pushed her hair out of her eyes and sighed. "Yeah yeah, I know. Not really."

"You've got Oz." Faith reminded her.

"Yeah," Willow brightened for a moment, then frowned again. "But I want things to be back like they were," she said in a wistful voice.

"Yeah," Faith nodded. "I kinda know a bit about having things turned all inside out and upside down on you."

"Heh." Willow grinned, a small one, but a still a grin. "Guess you do," she said. "I'll work it out," she added. "Maybe."

"Might want to like, talk to Xan?"

"As long as I don't have to talk to Cordelia," Willow muttered, and Faith grinned. Willow looked up, catching the grin and nodded. "Probably."

"Cool." Faith stood up, and arched her back, stretching. "Well, I'll be around. You know, in case you ever want to, like, do this 'sharing' thing again." She shook her head, "'Course, I'll probably still suck at it, but what the hey."

Willow gave her a startled grin and then ducked her head. "Sure." She repeated, a bit more firmly, "I'll be ok." A slight crease appeared between Willow's eyebrows, "Um... are you going to be... ?"

"Cool." Faith smiled. "And, I'm working on it," Faith decided to cut her losses and ambled towards the closed door to Giles office, shoving it open. "Knock knock," she said.

**...**

"Ah. Do come in Faith," Giles glanced up from his book. "Oh, you _are_ in already," he gave a slight smirk that was returned with interest by Faith.

"Well, yeah." Faith bobbed her head and dropped into a chair. "I figured you weren't doing anything in here I haven't seen before."

"Ahem." Giles removed his glasses hastily, giving Faith a mild glare. "Yes. And, how did your amusement and beach expedition go yesterday?"

"Pretty cool," Faith said grinning. "Want details?"

"Hmm. Have amusement parks and beaches changed any since I was a teenager?" Giles asked, with a slightly mischievous expression.

"Well... " Faith looked thoughtful, "You don't have to push the roller coaster cars uphill with your feet any more." She kept her face blank. "Or carve them out of logs first, neither," she added.

Giles gave a bark of laughter. "You win. I shall assume the answer is 'no' and move on." He gave Faith a slight smile and a nod, "I'm glad that you and your friends had a good time."

"Yeah," Faith's face broke out in a grin. "Watching Xander try not to puke, shop rummaging at the piers, food, and sand in all the wrong places - what's not to like?"

Giles smothered another small grin, but his eyes danced. "Ahem. Quite." He frowned and put his glasses back on, "Your mention of shops reminds me... " He reached into his top drawer, and pulled out a cheque and passed it to her. "Your council stipend and back accounting was in my mail this morning."

"Ah. Cool," Faith glanced at it, then back up at him, nodding. "I, err, don't have an account." She handed it back.

"Oh, I took that into account," Giles stated. "I'll deposit it and draw out the cash this afternoon for you. I merely wanted you to see it and the amount."

Faith waved that off. "Thanks, and no problems. I trust you."

"Yes, well," Giles nodded, placing the cheque back in his drawer and shutting it. He gave her a slightly more serious look, "In turn, realizing that you've been looking after your own affairs for some time now, I'll turn over the full amount to you if you wish. I shan't insult you by reminding you to spend it carefully."

"Cool," Faith said, her lips twitching. She frowned slightly, then said, "Have kind of a confession to make."

"Yes?"

"Er," Faith absently took the small amulet out of her pocket and began rubbing it, a nervous habit she'd picked up recently. "That vamp nest we hit? We- I kinda suggested trying it to raid for cash."

Giles looked at her for a moment, then nodded, "I see. Was it successful in that regard?"

"Oh, yeah. Not bad," Faith's lips twitched into a grin. "We kinda split it, and Cordy put her share in as a Scooby Fund thing since she didn't need it." Faith's brow creased slightly. "You're not mad?"

"Well," Giles began polishing his glasses again. "I _am_ concerned. You know that I regard nest raiding as a risky endeavor, correct?"

"Well, yeah."

"That stated, I see no real reason not to put anything found there to good use, if possible," he stated. Putting his glasses on, Giles added, "However... at some point in the near future we should discuss means of funding yourself that don't require endangering yourself and your friends, perhaps?"

"That'd be cool." Faith scowled at him, her eyes troubled, "You know I'm not gonna to risk getting any of them killed just for some cash, right?"

"If I didn't believe that, my response would have been quite different, I assure you." Giles nodded. "Just... be careful, as you and Xander explained that you were on this last one."

Faith grinned and her eyes cleared a bit. "Y'know? You might be all right." She paused, "For an old guy."

"Thank you. My self esteem was tottering quite badly before you assured me of that," Giles said dryly. Faith laughed

"I was worried," Faith said.

"I'm sure you were," Giles said. His gaze went to the object she was turning between her fingers. "Interesting. May I ask what you have there?"

Faith gave him a blank look, then glanced down. "Oh," she frowned slightly. "It's some kind of token. Old guy in New York gave it to me after I pulled some vamps off of him."

"Fascinating," Giles remarked. "May I?"

"See it?" Faith shrugged. "Uh, sure." She passed it across the desk. "He said it'd like, change my fortune for the better, or something."

"I see. Interesting," Giles nodded a bit absently as he examined it. "Has it worked?"

"Well, there's been some rough spots, but I can't complain _too_ much lately," Faith said, quietly. She leaned forward. "What is it?"

"It's a amulet/medallion connected to an African deity known as 'Eshu', I believe," Giles mused. "I'm afraid I'm not quite as up on my African mythologies as I might be."

"Ah. He said it was like, Yarubi or something," Faith nodded. "Eshu?"

Nodding, Giles passed it back across the desk. "Yoruba, perhaps? Eshu is supposed to be a trickster god, if I recall correctly. And a deity associated with: the protection of travelers, roads, particularly crossroads, the power over fortune and misfortune, and a personification of death: a psychopomp." Giles looked at her, "A psychopomp being a being responsible for escorting newly-deceased souls to the afterlife."

"So he like, watches over travelers and then gets them where they're going," Faith nodded.

"Well, yes," Giles laughed. "Very succinct summary."

"You Brits are wordy," Faith smirked, examining the amulet in light of the new information. "And he takes care of them?"

"Well, yes, if one whom encounters him gains his favor in some fashion," Giles mused. "Or takes care of them in a different fashion if he finds a traveler annoying." Giles shrugged, "As a trickster and a teaching god, he'd be likely to place choices before people with a possibility of good fortune if they choose wisely, possibly with difficult lessons involved."

"Huh. Nothing comes without a catch," Faith said, putting the medallion back in her pocket. "I'm not afraid of learning. Just hard headed."

"Quite," Giles said. Faith glanced at him suspiciously, and Giles held up his hand, his lips twitching. "Faith, I have little doubt that you can quite probably learn anything you decide that you really desire to."

Faith stared at him suspiciously for a few moments longer, then broke out in a grin. "Quite," she said.

Giles laughed, "Shall we undertake some training, if you're ready?"

"Born ready, Giles."

**...**

_**Wednesday August 19, 1998; Los Angeles, Pike's Apartment.**_

"So, why the long face?" Pike asked. Buffy had been quiet through dinner, and through helping to get Elena settled down and ready for bed.

"Oh, just thinking," Buffy said. "Sorry," she smiled apologetically. "Guess I have a lot on my mind tonight."

"Ah." Pike nodded, settling in at the end of the couch and turning to face her. "Anything I can help with?"

"No, not really," Buffy said, waving it off. "Just... I saw Gunn yesterday and talked to him. It brought back a lot of stuff."

"Oh. Yeah, he, uh... kind of mentioned that," Pike said. He shrugged, "Saw him at lunch today."

"Right." Buffy said, glancing down. She chewed her bottom lip and looked up, "I don't want to be the Slayer any more. Don't want to go back to it." She sighed, "That's why I left Sunnydale."

"Ok, then don't," Pike said, shrugging.

"That simple?" Buffy looked at him, surprised and a bit annoyed. "You don't think I've been trying that?"

"That simple," Pike stated. "Doesn't mean it's _easy_ to do. They're not the same."

"Oh. Right," Buffy said, sighing again. "I hated telling Gunn 'no', but... "

"Yeah. I'll bet," Pike gave her a sympathetic look. "Look - Gunn and his crew have been at this a long time. They know what they're doing. He'd like the extra help, but he doesn't have to have it, you know? He's just always looking for an edge."

"Yeah... I guess." Buffy said. "Not sure that helps," she said, ruefully.

Pike nodded. "It really is simple. Figuring out how to do it's the hard part." He shrugged, "You still up for the movie?" He picked up the remote. He glanced sideways at her, adding, "Us regular folk muddle through somehow. It's what people do." He grinned, "Relax. Just because you're the Slayer doesn't mean you have to save the world all the time."

_'Says __you__. They kept telling me it was my job,'_ Buffy thought. Instead, she said simply, "Sure, I guess," in an uncertain tone. Buffy settled back, her arms folded.

"Yeah. Imagine not," Pike's voice was sympathetic. "Oh - I'm not going to be in until real late tomorrow night. Mom's keeping Elena over," Pike said as he turned on the television and DVD player.

Buffy stared at him, "You're going to help Gunn with his 'thing', right?"

"Yeah, well... " Pike shrugged. "I owe him a few."

Buffy shook her head and sighed yet again. She turned to watch the film, a crease growing between her brows and her mind dimensions away from the screen.

**...**

_**Wednesday August 19, 1998; Sunnydale Cemetery, partway to Midnight.**_

Better, Faith decided. The atmosphere in the little group had at least thawed a bit. Of course, Willow wasn't exactly friendly towards Cordelia, but they were at least being civil and exchanging more than monosyllables on Red's part and snark on Cordy's. Willow was still a bit uncomfortable with Xander, but at least she wasn't shooting covert glares at him, Cordy, and Faith at the moment. And she was acting closer to how she had before with Faith, even if her jokes and comments were a bit strained in Faith's direction.

She spotted Oz watching the others, caught his eye, and got a fractional nod and smile back from the little guitarist. Cool.

Might work, at least until the next little implosion. Which was good, because Faith was still a little unstrung if she were to be honest with herself - all of the other tension on top had been twanging her nerves to the snapping point.

"It's sad that I'm actually looking _forward_ to the relative safety of school starting again," Xander remarked. "Robot-demons, Franken-jocks, gene-splicing coaches, killer puppets... "

"Ghostly suicide pacts," Cordelia put in. "Oh! And Parent's Day."

"Yeah, infectious Bezoar egg projects," Willow sighed, sounding wistful. "Invisible girls."

"Buffy's homicidal boyfriends," Cordelia added. "And _my_ favorite among the perennial classics: pig-eating Xander-Elvis."

"Hey!" Xander protested, then smirked. "Ah yes, the _good_ old days. See what I mean? Not to mention; possessed Halloween costumes."

"And lest we forget," Oz remarked, "Career day assassins."

"Whoa," Faith stopped and crouched a bit, holding up a hand. "Quiet!" She strained to catch the sound again and try to get a direction. After a minute, she pointed off into the newer section of the graveyard.

"Vamps?" Willow kind of stage whispered the question.

"Not sure. Digging sounds, maybe," Faith said, quietly. She readied her crossbow, checking to make sure her axe was slung where it'd come loose easily.

The rest fanned out around her when she set off slowly, moving more or less quietly between and around tombstones and trees. Stealth wasn't exactly a forte of any of them, except for Faith, but they weren't too horribly loud once the chatter stopped.

It might not have mattered. The cluster of thin, dark figures digging into a fairly fresh grave might not have heard them if they'd walked normally, so intent on their task were they. Dirt sprayed up, back, and behind them in all directions as they dug into the soft ground with both hands, like dogs. The wind changed slightly, blowing back towards Faith and the Scoobies suddenly, bringing with it a foul smell of rot and fresh putrefaction.

"Whoa! Eew." Cordelia said, gagging and waving a hand in front of her face. Willow turned a kind of pale greenish and bent over suddenly with a moan, making retching sounds.

She heard Xander and Oz both swallowed hard, and Faith really couldn't blame _any_ of them: she was too busy trying to keep her dinner from clawing its way back up. She'd smelled better aromas from three week dead former vamp meals in a lair.

The two closest of the digging figures snapped up at the sounds, and two sets of red, lambent eyes - three per figure - swept around the area and came to rest on the five hunters. One of them made a guttural squealing noise and four more sets came up as figures scrambled hastily out of the partially dug into grave and also focused on Faith and the Scoobies.

"Uh," Xander cleared his throat nervously, and said in a shaky voice, "Since the element of surprise is now blown, let me just say: my what a _wonderful_ smell we've discovered."

"Surprise," Oz said in a deceptively calm voice.

As Xander, Oz, and Cordelia scrambled to bring weapons up, Faith aimed carefully at the closest one gathering itself. A harsh scrabbling sound came from the grave, drawing the attention of three of the... things, and the others launched themselves forward in a rush as she squeezed the trigger.

They were a lot faster than they looked. Tougher, as well: Faith's bolt struck her target in the face, and it hunched forward and over, clawing at the crossbow bolt as the other two split and moved in. She had a vague glimpse of a newly hatched vampire pulling itself out of the grave just in time to have three of the things tear into it and begin pulling it apart to the sound of snarls, and then she was in motion.

Oz's arrow hit one in the chest as it blurred forward, then Willow was scrambling away and falling back, screaming. Oz somehow managed to grab it in the next moments as they tumbled past him, holding it back with an arm around it's throat from behind as jaws with too many teeth snapped at the screaming red head. His other arm rose and fell desperately, driving a dagger into its kidneys and back.

"_Oz!_" Faith crossed the intervening distance in a lunge, axe back behind her head. He threw a wild eyed glance up at her as she closed, and flung himself to one side and away. Faith's boot caught the creature in the face with a snap kick and she spun and followed through, burying the axe through its skull down to the upper chest.

She heard hysterical screaming from Cordy and Xander's direction and a bolt of sheer panic shot through her. Xander was doing his best to tear one of the things off of Cordelia as it slashed at her, Faith saw when she spun wild eyed in their direction. The third one had pulled the bolt from its face and was coming back up, hunched and snarling.

Her axe flipped end over end and caught it edge first through the side of the chest as she flung it almost absently on her way to Cordelia and Harris. Xander buried a stake in the back of the thing, and it abandoned Cordy, twisting to knock him rolling with a back handed slash. It hunched and started to move in on him.

And Faith hit it with a flying tackle, completely unaware of how she'd crossed the intervening distance. Both her and the creature went rolling until they fetched up against the base of a burial monument, the sounds coming from Faith's throat as feral as those the creature was uttering. She ignored teeth, snapping jaws and talons and lost all art, tucking her chin down and her head into the hollow of its neck and chest, slamming punches into it.

It went down as crunching sounds came from its body. Faith planted a foot on the things chest, grabbed it by the head with both hands, heedless of the teeth, and twisted and _pulled_ as she straightened.

She threw the head to one side and growled, low in her chest, rounding on movement and sounds from the area of the grave site. Three pairs of triple, lambent eyes looked up from the partially dismembered fledgling, then melted away into the surrounding darkness.

"_Faith!_" Xander and Oz's shouts pulled her back to the world, and she shook herself all over like dog, turning to the others.

"Right. Jeeze... " She pushed her hair back from her eyes, absently noticing that her face was somehow wet, and went to where Xander was bending frantically over a moaning Cordelia. "Oz?"

"Willow's clawed, but ok," Oz stated. "Help them."

Bending over Cordelia and Xander, she took in Cordelia's wounds. Not bothering to worry about modesty, she grabbed her t-shirt and ripped it off, tearing it in half and wadding it and pulling Xander's hands away to wrap half around Cordelia's bleeding forearm.

"Put pressure here and hold it, Xan." Faith said. She pressed the other wadded up half to the bite mark on Cordelia's shoulder and held it there.

Xander nodded, white faced, his hands following her voice seemingly without his brain's input. "Willow?" he asked, his voice strained and his jaw muscles bunching at the corners.

"Oz says basically all right. Scared to death, probably."

"_Eeeugh!_ That's it, I'm _so_ done with this!" Cordelia snarled, "Smelly, dirty, gross, snapping... "

"It's ok, Cordy. You'll be All right," Faith said. "Hang on, girl."

"_OK?!_" Cordelia started up, yelling, only to have Faith press her down again, gently. "Does this _look_ ok?! Jesus."

"Easy, Cordy. Looks fine," Xander said. He looked at Faith and his eyes went wide.

Faith glanced over at him. "I got this."

She replaced Xander's hand on Cordelia's forearm with her other one. "Check on Will, and help Oz grab the hardware and finish that vamp. Tell Oz we need his van in here fast - they both need an emergency room. And his blankets." He nodded and got up, moving away.

"Emergency? Oh God - I'm so going to die... " Cordy gasped, "_Worse_ - I'm going to be disfigured for _life_. This is all your fault, Harris!" Cordelia called after him.

"You're not gonna die," Faith stated. "Not gonna let it happen."

"I _am_ going to be disfigured?! I _knew_ it!" Cordelia calmed a bit after a while, finally. "Gods, I am _such_ a wreck."

"S'allright," Faith nodded. "You kept saying you were planning a nervous breakdown. Now's the time."

"Damn straight."

Xander came back a short time later, setting weapons down in a pile and kneeling next to the two of them. "Oz and Will are bringing the van."

Faith nodded. "Willow?"

"Clawed a little and freaked, but mostly ok. Oz kept it off her until you killed it," Xander brushed hair away from Cordelia's face, and added. "Emergency's going to keep you when we get there too."

"I'm Ok."

He gave her an incredulous look. "You won't think so when the shock wears off, trust me."

**...**

_**Thursday August 20, 1998; Emergency room, Sunnydale General Hospital, 1am-ish. **_

As the only two basically unwounded, Giles found Oz and Xander exiled to the Emergency room waiting area when he hurried through the doors at close to 1am, shortly following Xander's call.

"Cordelia, Willow and Faith?" He inquired, coming over to them.

"Willow: minor claw marks," Oz said. "Should be out soon."

"Cordelia's got scratches and a bite on her arm and one shoulder, but... she's freaked." Xander shook his head, looking pale and strained.

"And Faith?"

"Not sure," Oz shrugged. "Think mostly blood and dirt, but... "

"She won't let anyone look at her," Xander said. Giles looked at him sharply. Xander threw up his hands, "One of the doctors tried to move her away from Cordy so they could look at her, and she... _growled_ and gave him a death glare."

"Intense," Oz agreed. "And standing guard."

"Yeah... Giles, she tackled one of them and tore him apart with her bare hands - _growling_," Xander shook his head again, looking more than a bit 'freaked' himself, Giles noted. "I thought she was going to lose it completely."

"I see," Giles said, sighing. "I'll see what I can do in a moment, if anything." He hesitated, and asked, "You told them it was a wild animal attack?"

"It fit," Oz stated.

Giles nodded. "What were they?"

"Hell if I know," Xander said. "Ugly, three eyed, fast, nasty, and smelled worse."

"Tore a vamp apart and were eating him," Oz agreed, nodding.

"Can you give me anything to add to the description? So that I may research while you are recovering?"

"Hrrm." Xander shrugged, looking blankly at him for a moment. "Tall? But kinda hunched, so like, not looking that big. And skinny - like if someone cut out three quarters of your weight and left you at Buffy's weight?" He frowned, pausing, "Rotted looking."

"Skittery," Oz said. At Giles inquiring look, he shrugged. "Like a scorpion: moved fast, but real jerky. Rush and stop dead."

Giles nodded again, and said, "I'll see if I can do anything with Faith, and handle the forms. I know everyone's information by heart by now."

"Faith won't be moved," Oz stated with certainty.

"We'll see," Giles clasped the two boys on the shoulder lightly, and turned to the Emergency desk. Two young men, he amended as he walked away. Not _boys_, he was finally beginning to realize.


	4. Chapter 3: En Loco Parentis

**Chapter 3: En Loco Parentis - **

_**Thursday August 20, 1998; Emergency room, Sunnydale General Hospital, early AM.**_

Once he'd spoken to the ER duty nurse, Giles not only received permission to go back to where Cordelia was being treated, once he suggested he was Faith's guardian and that he could possibly help with her, he was practically _shoved_ in that direction. One of the ER orderlies trailed along with him to ease him through to where he might do some good.

"Will it leave a scar? It _will_ scar won't it? Just how _bad_ a scar are we talking here?" Giles heard Cordelia's voice long before he came to her treatment area. It made the two of them rather easy to find.

He found himself forcing a small smile away as he pushed the doors open. Cordelia couldn't _possibly_ be hurt truly badly if she were maintaining that volume of complaint.

A trauma doctor was working on Cordelia's shoulder when he came through the door, still in the process of cleaning the wound under local anesthetic prior to stitching. She glanced up as he entered and lit up, smiling brightly. "Giles!"

"And how are you, Cordelia?" Giles inquired, moving up beside Faith to grip Faith's shoulder reassuringly. Faith shot him a startled glance, then nodded and relaxed slightly under his hand.

"Oh, wonderful, you? I understand the hideously maimed look is so _In_ this year!"

"I somehow doubt that you'll be maimed, and you could hardly manage hideous, Cordelia," Giles smiled at her, somewhat relieved. He glanced over Faith, and asked, "And you, Faith?"

"'M'allright," Faith nodded.

It took a less than intense scrutiny for him to determine that, while probably not badly physically injured, Faith was far from 'all right'. The young woman was shocky, scratched and bruised in numerous places, covered in blood - fortunately most of which was probably non-human - and saliva, with a wildly matted tangle of hair. Her eyes were slightly wide, unblinking, and she was currently wearing a blanket - and little else - over her chest and shoulders. Giles could feel her shivering intermittently under his hand.

"Of course you are," Giles nodded, his voice soothing. "However, you need to come with me to allow the medical people here to take a look at you."

"No." It came out as a harsh whisper. "Not hurt."

"I know," Giles nodded. "But please. Else these... _people_ will never allow us to go until they've ascertained that for themselves, and then Cordelia will be forced to wait while we argue with them."

Faith blinked, and stared at him, then shot a suspicious glare at the doctor, orderly, and nurse. She looked at Cordelia, her eyes narrow.

"Oh please. I'm fine now - go with Giles. Last thing I need is to hang around here after they get done." Cordelia gave her an airy wave with the hand on the side not being worked on.

"Y'sure?"

"I'm sure - ow!" Cordelia winced despite the local as the doctor began stitching. Faith snarled and the doctor threw her a nervous glance and looked at Giles with a slightly panicked expression. "I'm ok, jeeze. Just Doctor Mengele here hit his _hands_ with the Novocain instead of my _shoulder_, Christ."

Faith nodded, and slumped slightly under Giles' hand. "All right. L's'go," she looked up at Giles.

Outside the care room, she turned to face Giles, looking up at him. "I can't do this, Giles," Faith shook her head. "Thought I could, but I can't."

"Nonsense." Giles reached out a hand and gently smoothed what he could of the matted hair back from her face.

"Not working. I've been trying, and people just keep getting _hurt_." Faith gave him a desperate look.

"Shh. You're doing fine." Giles met Faith's head shake with a serious look. "You didn't get Cordelia, Xander, or Willow hurt, did you?"

"No. But... "

"But you could have been faster? Or moved better? Stronger, perhaps? Or possibly have been everywhere at once?"

"Well, yeah." Faith frowned. "Well, no, but... "

"From what I'm told, you did the very best you could. The others aren't seriously injured, and I believe that you had a great deal to do with that."

"But my _best_ isn't _good_ enough!" Faith's voice rose on each word until it cracked.

"Young lady; your best is extraordinary." Giles cupped her cheek with his hand, "Sometimes these things happen, and even our best can't prevent them."

"So what do we do?"

"We go on, and we do what we can," Giles gave her a tight smile. "For now? We let these people clean you up a bit, and look at and take care of your injuries so that we can leave. From Xander and Oz, I'm given to understand those creatures have foul nails and fouler mouths." He gave her shoulder a tight clasp, "And then you go home with your friends and you take care of each other."

"Right." Faith nodded slightly and searched his eyes as if she were trying to push her gaze through the back of his skull - or possibly somewhere deeper. "Home." She nodded again, more firmly and her chin came up, "I have a home now."

Giles watched as an orderly and a nurse led her into one of the trauma rooms for care, sticking his hands in his pockets. "You most certainly do, child. You most certainly do."

**...**

_**Thursday August 20, 1998; Sunnydale Cemetery, roughly an hour past dawn.**_

Unlike a number of sites that Rupert Giles had seen, where the only evidence that a fierce life and death battle had taken place during the hours of darkness were scuff marks and piles of dust, this area looked like a battlefield. A small one, perhaps, but nonetheless a battlefield. Torn and gouged earth, smears of blood mixed with gouts and splashes of non-human bodily fluids, scuffed footprints and great gouges in the earth where clawed feet had scrabbled for purchase, and smashed vegetation.

And over it all, hung a stench redolent of a six month old abattoir that had been left to rot, then opened in a hot clime.

Giles examined curiously the partially opened grave that had been dug into, noting the scattering of vampire dust laying upon the freshly disturbed soil. He took note of the clawed, five toed footprints, then moved to carefully examine the trio of inhuman corpses.

He was forced to douse his handkerchief with lighter fluid and hold it to his nose and mouth to breathe through before he could even approach the bodies.

Finishing a minute examination of the most intact of the corpses, he moved to the headless one, staring for a long time before bending to examine it. The marble monument it lay near the base of was cracked and chipped, he noted, as though by a great impact.

After a time, he straightened painfully, rubbing at the small of his back, shaking his head.

Had he not seen the results and heard the accounts of Oz and young Harris, he would barely have credited that Faith - or indeed any slayer - could be possessed of the strength needed to literally rip a being's head from its shoulders with main strength alone. Possessed _by_, perhaps. To have accomplished this damage and the others evident upon the corpse, Faith must have been in the grips of a near berserkergang - if not far beyond such a pedestrian word.

He found it little wonder that among her injuries the medics had listed a dislocated left shoulder, a wrenched back, and several scraped sprained fingers on her hands. Giles found himself with little doubt that only adrenaline and sheer nerve had been keeping her on her feet at the hospital.

A flicker of something bright through some nearby shrubbery caught Giles' eye and he went to investigate. Pushing aside the foliage, he spotted first a foot encased in dark shoes and socks, then a tan coloured pants leg. Following the leg and pushing the foliage aside further, he found what was left of the rest of the grounds keeper. He backed away and let the branches close behind him again, blocking the view of the body.

Deciding that he'd seen enough for his purposes, Giles absently polished his glasses, replacing them and taking out his car keys. After a moment, he strode off down the path back to his car and the gates, anxious to be gone before any cemetery staff arrived on the scene.

No need to bother with dragging away the demonic looking corpses. Over time, Rupert Giles had begun to realize that not everyone in Sunnydale shared the complete obliviousness of some of the populace. Those entities who's corpses did not dissolve into muck or slime nevertheless somehow managed to never be left in place for very long after the light of morning revealed them.

A mental image of a secret wing of the Sunnydale morgue filled with rows of stainless cabinets containing scaled, slimy and/or taloned corpses in post autopsy state struck him, and he _wished_ that he could take it as mere humorous whimsy.

**...**

_**Thursday August 20, 1998; Los Angeles, Gunn's gang's apartment complex, late afternoon.**_

Gunn and the rest of his people were gathered around the courtyard of the old apartment building when Buffy walked in trailing behind Pike. Still uncertain about the impulse that had led her to show up at Pike's workplace when he was getting off, Buffy had to resist the temptation to make herself unnoticeable, or try to.

"Hey, Pike," one of the other members of the group called out - another young black male possibly Gunn's age. He glanced over at Buffy with a smirk. "So, Barbie decided to make it after all, huh?"

Buffy's spine straightened with a snap, and she glared at him, biting back the impulse to comment.

"Yo, Rondell," Gunn called out from where he was working at the trigger guard on a crossbow with the help of a slightly younger black woman. "Girl's kind enough to show up to help - she don't need no attitude, hear?" He waved her and Pike over to his direction.

"Hey," the young woman smiled at Buffy as the two of them came over. "Don't mind Rondell."

"Oh, I won't," Buffy waved it off, tiredly. She looked at the other girl curiously, "I know you, I think?"

"You're Anne. We've seen each other when I came over to babysit Elena," the girl nodded. "I'm Alonna - Gunn's sister."

"Right," Buffy snapped her fingers, smiling. "Good to meet you, finally."

"Ok, so here's the deal," Gunn put in. He gave the crossbow a satisfied look and set it down. "We got a new gang of vamps moved into a nest nearby, and they're getting to be a problem. Like to clear them out before they get any bigger, you know?"

"Right," Pike said. "How many?"

"'Bout twenty, maybe more," Gunn admitted. "Why I was kinda happy to get some help."

"That's a lot. Where at?" Buffy asked, intrigued despite herself. "And you got a plan?"

"Warehouse about ten blocks from here, just outside an old factory." Gunn said. Picking up the crossbow and a quiver of bolts, he handed them to Alonna and picked up a wicked looking hubcap axe. He waved Pike and Buffy to follow him over to where a thin Hispanic youth was messing around in the back of an old flatbed truck. "This is most of it," he slapped the fender of the truck. "Hey, Arturo - say hello."

"Wow." Buffy looked it over as Arturo exchanged greetings an friendly insults with Pike. The truck was mostly rust and primer, but it looked solid as far she could tell, and it had a wedge shaped hunk of metal welded to the front bumper. It also had a large crossbow mounted on a pole in the bed. A light ballista, Buffy seemed to vaguely recall from one of Giles' books.

"Everyone loads up in the back of this and in my truck," Gunn explained, "Then this one crashes in the main door of the warehouse while we go to the other one and bail out and come in the back." He pointed to the ballista, adding, "Alonna loads while Arturo shoots and re-cocks the big bow, and the others with crossbows stay in and either shoot or throw Molotovs while the rest of us close hand to hand." Gunn grinned, "They can't run out because of the sunlight."

"Okayyy... " Buffy said, slowly, then nodded. "Sounds like you have been doing this for awhile."

"Yeah," Alonna said, nodding. "But this is a bigger nest than we usually have to deal with."

Gunn nodded, "There's about two dozen of us, plus you and Pike, but... "

"Vamps are stronger and faster, right," Buffy nodded. "I know the drill."

**...**

_**Thursday August 20, 1998; Chase Manor pool house, late afternoon.**_

Xander yawned, blinking and more than a bit disoriented. He pushed himself up with his elbows, and slid back until he could prop himself up half sitting against the pillows. Cordelia groaned and stirred in her sleep next o him and burrowed deeper into the mattress.

"Hey," Faith gave him a nod, propped up on one elbow on the other side of Cordelia.

"Hey yourself," Xander gave her a half-grin, a bit hesitant but there.

"Looks like it's our turn now, huh?" Faith said, seriously, and pushed a lock of hair out of Cordelia's eyes.

"To be the comfortadors et cetera?" She nodded and Xander grinned, "Yeah, guess so."

"Works," Faith said, her eyes serious.

"Sure. Except for the part of my brain that's running in circles screaming," Xander said. "But I never listen to that anyway."

"To your brain?"

Xander opened his mouth to object, then caught the teasing glint in her eyes and shrugged, "Yeah, well... it's usually my least functional part anyway."

Faith grinned.

"You were kinda scary last night," he ventured, then wished he hadn't because of the way her eyes darkened. "Not that that's a bad thing, because, hey - freaksome stuff you know and - "

"Babbling, Harris," Faith said, but the eyes were smiling again.

"Better?" Xander asked, curious despite himself. "How'd you come down, finally?"

"Working on a book?" Faith smirked, then shrugged slightly. "Dunno. Giles managed, somehow."

"He's good at that," Xander said. "I think it's the stiff English pole up his backside, and the way his eyes get all crinkly with worry while he's blathering multisylababble at you. All the while he's kinda hunched up like he'd rather be in Antarctica so no one will actually, like, catch him being all human-like."

Faith laughed, "Yeah. Like that."

Xander nodded grinning. "Yeah. Forces you to picture him being a dad, and then you want to shoot his poor kid to put him out of his misery."

Faith laughed again and said. "Goofball."

Cordelia stirred, then rolled over yawning. She stretched, winced, and blinked sleepily. "Is it morning all ready?"

"No... late afternoon. We were about to call the morgue and have you hauled off," Xander told her.

"Doofus." Cordelia yawned again, "We have an exclusive contract with a private mortuary."

"I think she's feeling better," Faith said, seriously.

"Yeah, she always bounces back from sudden death with New and Improved snark and a taste for the blood of the nearest innocent bystander," Xander smirked.

"Oh, please. Like either of you were ever innocent?"

"Hey! We decided to be all care takey, and this is what we get?" Xander laughed.

"You guys are on nursemaid duty? I am _so_ doomed," Cordelia frowned slightly, "Willow? And Oz?"

"They're fine. Will was freaked more than anything else," Xander said. Faith nodded.

"Uh, it was late, so I, uh, told them to crash in the other room when Oz dropped us off," Faith said, her eyes a bit worried looking.

"Oh gods, I have to deal with Willow too? Can I just go back and let the monsters finish me off?"

"Uh," Xander frowned, and Cordelia shook her head.

"Joking, Harris. It's fine," she said. "Really," Cordelia added.

"I really do think she's feeling better," Faith said, seriously, and smirked. "You kinda freaked last night," she added, to Cordelia.

"I think I had one coming," Cordelia said archly, then smiled.

"Yeah, been due for awhile," Faith nodded, her eyes dark. "You don't have to be the strong one all the time, you know."

"Moi?" Cordelia said. "Hmm. You're not allowed to be perceptive. It upsets the natural order of things. I'm fashionably insightful, Harris is comedy relief, and you're the brazen, leather clad barbarian sexpot."

"Hey! I can be perceptive!" Xander's brow creased, "What's 'perceptive', anyway?" Faith shook her head and mouthed 'doofus' at him.

"_Way_ too early for his routine," Cordelia rolled her eyes and pushed herself to a sitting position. She pointed to Faith, then to Xander. "Minion? _Slay_ him for me."

Faith's lips twitched and she started getting up. Xander's eyes widened and he scrambled back off the bed. "Hey! I don't have to take this!" Faith stood and rolled her shoulders, cracking her knuckles. "Just for that, I'm going to the bathroom. To hide. And whimper while I hunt for what's left of my manliness."

Bathroom breaks and late-afternoon morning routines accomplished, they met at the table in the dining room over coffee and a plate of bagels, eggs, and English muffins, still yawning on occasion and relatively relaxed conversation. Breakfast and coffee was taken care of with a maximum of chaos and good natured grumbling. After the third time she caught Faith and Xander competing to do something for her and making a mess, Cordelia chased them back to their seats and got her own coffee.

"Mornin'" Oz shambled in, blinking, his (currently) bright orange hair still sleep tousled. He wandered past to grab coffee and a soda for Willow.

"Morning," Willow echoed. "Hey! Cordelia! How... ?"

"I'm fine, Willow," Cordelia said. "Doctor said that as long as it's kept clean and I keep up with the mega-antibiotics routine and the Panofil, there won't even be scarring."

"Good," Oz remarked, setting the drinks down and beginning to prepare plates for himself and Willow.

"Yup," Xander said. "Can't have Cordy scarring - it's so hard to find Gucci that matches."

"Good. That was scary, huh?" Willow's eyes widened, "And I haven't seen you do that since the Reptile thing or the -"

"What? Get all shrieking in the face of sudden death and screaming about my hair and wardrobe?"

"Well, yeah! Lately you've been all... collected and stuff."

"We decided she was due," Faith smirked. "Gave her that nervous breakdown she wanted for her birthday, only early."

"Breakdown broke, all better now," Cordelia smirked back. Her eyes glinted slightly, but they were twinkling down deep, "Don't worry, Will. Before you know it I'll be back to where I've been recently, _complete_ with unwanted and incisive analysis of Willow traits."

Xander and Oz's eyes widened slightly, and Willow stammered, "Oh no! That's ok, I mean, I kind of like you like before, only not _too_ before because well -"

"Relax, Red," Faith shook her head. _She'd_ at least caught the twinkle, and the lighter tone. "She's joking. Really."

Willow looked at her, then back to Cordelia, frowning slightly.

"Really," Cordelia said.

"Ok," Willow huffed a bit. "It's just kinda hard to tell sometimes when you're joking, and when you're... you're... "

"Regressing to Junior High and Freshmen/Sophomore Cordelia? Fashion obsessed and ready to shred bystanders and scatter their remains to the Cordettes?" Cordelia, frowned slightly, then the thousand watt grin came out. "I suppose it is."

"Well, yeah!" Willow shook her head, then sighed. "I've been trying, Cordy. I really have. It's just... hard, you know?"

"Yeah, it is," Cordelia admitted. She saw Xander relax slightly next to her, and winked at him. "Think we've all been changing the last few months."

"Not me," Oz said, mildly. "Unless you count the three days thing."

"Doesn't count, Guitarzan," Faith smirked. "We all do for three days a month. 'Cept for Harris."

"Hey! I resent that!" Xander said, mock heatedly. "Oh wait - no I don't. I'm kind of glad for that, except for the urge to flee in terror from you and Cordy."

Willow, Faith, and Cordelia raised eyebrows and Cordelia pointed at Xander, "Slay him, please."

"Eeep!"

Willow snickered. "I _am_ glad you're ok. And Faith."

"Yeah, you too," Faith nodded. "Ugly bastards," she said.

"Eeew, yeah." Cordelia paused, then said, "A year ago I wouldn't have been caught dead with Harris in public. Now I don't care. And last year, I wouldn't have given Faith the time of day, much less gotten to know her - I'd have considered her a trailer trash barbarian and verbally dismembered her."

"Glad I didn't meet you last year," Faith remarked. "I'd of had to find somewhere to hide the body."

"I probably would have helped," Willow admitted, snickering, and Cordelia arched her eyebrows, then broke out laughing.

"Maybe something's forcing us all to grow up?" Oz interjected.

"You think?" Xander's eyes widened. "I want to go on record as being totally against the idea. I am secure in my immaturity."

"We've noticed," Willow said, then giggled, getting a 'Hey!' and a smirk from Xander.

"Me too. I say we resist, kicking and screaming all the way," Faith said. At the other's looks, she added, "ToysRus kid. Or I wanted to be." She grinned.

"I agree," Cordelia nodded. "Since it means we're probably being groomed to deal with something Hellmouthy in May that will kill us all horribly trying to fight it."

"Oh. As long as it's just business as usual, that's okay then," Xander said.

"Should we all go meet Giles at the library and see if he's found anything in research?" Willow asked. There were faces made at that suggestion all around the table.

"I vote movies," Oz suggested. "And pizza."

"Library and research tomorrow," Xander agreed.


	5. Chapter 4: Defining Terms

**Chapter 4: Defining Terms -**

_**Thursday August 20, 1998; Los Angeles, vamp gang warehouse, late evening.**_

Clouds of dust drifted through the shafts of sunlight coming in through the open doors of the warehouse. Breathing heavily, Buffy looked around, noticing that everyone seemed to be still alive. There seemed to be only a few injuries among Gunn's crew, none of them major. She and Pike hadn't even gotten scratched. A few remaining spatters of burning gasoline sputtered on metal walls or concrete floors where Molotov cocktails had landed and hadn't yet burned out.

For a few brief moments, enveloped in a cluster of snarling vampires, with pair of stakes and her feet and fists flying, she'd almost lost herself in a savage exultation as dust flew about her. Once, before Angel had woken up insane and her Calling had turned to ashes in her gut, she'd almost welcomed that rush a few times: enjoying the feeling of losing herself in the kill and the adrenaline, even as her mind denied the attraction of it.

Now it merely made her sick at her stomach.

Or so she told herself, anyway. Never mind the tiny voice in the back of her mind that turned cartwheels and howled _'Yes!'_ even as she slammed the doors shut on it and locked them.

That wasn't a part of her any more, and she hated it. Hated the way it felt, and the sick enjoyment that came with it, and with the satisfying crunch as a stake slammed through a vampire's chest before the woosh of the bursting dust cloud. That wasn't who she was any longer. She kept telling herself that.

"Damn, girl," Gunn's voice broke her out of her thoughts and she shook her head tiredly, coming back to the room with a dizzying wrench. "Nice work - you got some moves there."

"Yeah. Thanks," Buffy shook her head. She caught Pike's eye across the room and smiled wanly at him.

"Yeah, what he said," Alonna's voice was tired, but her eyes glowed as she slumped heavily next to her brother. "Any time you feel like another work out, just let us know, you hear?"

"Damn straight," Gunn nodded. "Don't know what you got there, but it's something all right."

"I... " Buffy's voice trailed off as a burst of images flooded her mind.

_... In the atrium of the old mansion, Angelus played with his sword, idly pointing it at Buffy. Fear in her eyes, she looked up at him._

_"Now that's everything, huh?" Angelus smirked, laughing cruelly. "No weapons... No friends... No hope."_

_Closing her eyes, Buffy tried to steel herself for the iciness of that blade sliding into her._

_"Take all that away... and what's left?" He asked in a curious tone. Angelus drew back the sword, and thrust it forward directly at Buffy's face. Something deep inside that she didn't realize was there any longer stood up on its hind legs and snarled, her senses seeing the blade slice forward even through her closed eyelids._

_She brought her hands together suddenly, stopping the blade cold between her palms, and looked up at him._

_"Me."_

"No, I... " Buffy's voice came out weakly. She shook her head, and said it more firmly, "No." She made herself meet Gunn's eyes evenly, "I don't mind giving a hand on something like this, when it's too much, but... that's not me any more. I put that behind me and I'm not going back."

She spun on her heel and headed to where Pike was talking animatedly to Arturo by the truck, blinking dust out of her eyes. Dust, that was it.

"Right." Gunn's drawl followed her away. "Whatever you say, girl."

Definitely dust. Vamp dust.

**...**

_**Friday August 21, 1998; Sunnydale High School Library, afternoon.**_

With the exception of Willow, who was already there and engrossed in a book, the others straggled into the library as Faith and Giles were finishing up their training session. Oz, slid into a chair next to Willow, distracting her from her book with a kiss, and Xander and Cordelia snagged chairs next to each other to watch the combat session.

"Hey guys," Faith bobbed her head and pulled a chair around to drop into.

"Hey." Xander snickered, "I see you're making with the ritual Beating of the Giles."

"He's in Pinata training," Faith flashed them a grin.

Four heads swiveled to Giles as he walked up, shrugging into his jacket after changing out of his pads. Xander, Willow, Oz, and Cordelia folded their hands primly and chanted, "Good Morning, Mr. Giles," in unison.

Giles stuck his hands in his pockets and blinked at them, owlishly. "You children rehearsed that, didn't you."

"Well, yeah," Faith said. "I coached."

"Bloody prats," Giles shook his head, bemused.

"Darn," Xander shook his head disgustedly, "And I was betting we'd get at _least_ an 'Insufferable pillocks!' out of it."

"Pay up, Harris," Cordelia snarked. "Baby needs new Christian Dior."

Xander made a show of digging in his pockets and looking woeful, "I'll gladly pay you next Tuesday for- "

"If you heathens are _quite_ finished," Giles cut in, shaking his head.

All five of them turned to face him attentively and said, "Yes, Mr. Giles," smirking.

"Oh, bloody hell." He sighed, laughing, "Adolescent pillocks."

"Does that mean Xander doesn't have to pay up?" Oz lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't know why I even bother... " Giles cleared his throat. "In any fashion, Willow and I believe we may have discovered something regarding your assailants of the other night."

"Ooh! Yeah," Willow dug a book out from under her current stack. Opening it, she slid it around to where the others could take a look. Oz leaned over to view it upside down.

"Eeew," Cordelia said, scrunching her face up. "Do those have, like, a hidden treasure chamber? Because my Daddy has lawyers and we can _sue_ for personal injury compensation."

"Ease back, Mercenary Girl. Those guys don't look like they can even _spell_ MasterCard," Xander stated. "Does this come in trade paperback? 'Cause I don't think any of us read, err, proto-gibberish."

"Ahem. That's actually Proto-Nostratic," Giles clucked his tongue.

"Same diff," Cordelia said. "And does it?"

"No. However I did manage to translate it sufficiently," Giles removed his glasses for polishing. "Shall I take it those match your recollections of those beings as well as Willow's?" There were nods and assents all around. "They would then appear to be a form of Nightgaunt." At their expectant looks, he elaborated, "A form of carnivorous undead-like creature that occasionally slip through rifts from the Dreamlands, via the Shadow Paths, and are associated along with other Gaunts with an elder creature known as 'Yibb-Tsstl'. They're said in their native realm to 'suckle' at Yibb-Tsstl's festering black breasts when not slipping forth to scavenge for carrion or live prey."

"Okayyyy... " Faith made a face. "You never heard of 'too much information', huh?"

"_Eeew!_ Does this mean I'm going to, like, begin to _rot_ and turn _into_ one of them? Like in one of Xander's horrid zombie movies?" Cordelia paled, looking at her arm as though she were contemplating gnawing it off.

"Only in our fondest fantasies, dear," Xander smirked.

"_Xander!_" Willow rolled her eyes. "Gross!" She handed Oz a book, "Swat him, will you?"

Oz thumped Xander lightly but solidly on the head. "Sorry, man. Orders." He looked mildly apologetic. Xander rubbed his head and gave Willow a wounded look.

"_Really!_ Cause, like, festering breast suckling? _So_ not on my list of senior extra-curriculars."

"And yet oddly erotic," Xander smirked. Oz lifted the book and raised an inquiring eyebrow at Willow.

"ahem" Giles glared briefly, lifting his eyes slightly as if praying for patience. "No, Cordelia, Nightgaunt bites do _not_ change victims into other Nightgaunts." He looked abstracted for a moment, then added, "However, their teeth and claws _are_ said to be quite filthy. Gangrene would be a common result, one would suppose."

"Gross!!" Cordelia looked ill. "_So_ not comforting."

"Not helping, G," Faith shook her head, and patted Cordelia clumsily on the shoulder. "Moving along? Locate, kill, how to?"

"Ok." Willow asked, frowning, "So. Will they slip back where they came from on their own?"

"Dreamlands?" Xander frowned, "So, what - these things come through during nightmares or something?" He began looking as vaguely ill as Cordelia.

"No, or at least not in a time frame that's useful, Willow. They'll more than likely establish a nest here," Giles shook his head. "And no, Xander. Or, rather, _some_ Dreamland inhabitants might, perhaps. The texts aren't quite clear: the time of elder beings predates known human history all the way back to Pangaea. Gaunts, however, are reputed to enter via corrupted places in crypts and graveyards or abattoirs, not dreams."

"Again, not long on comfort," Oz suggested.

"So we wanna look for some crypt or graveyard that's corrupted?" Faith scowled, "Corrupted by what?"

"Dark magic, burial of a black mage or other dark arts practitioner, summoning of some netherworlds denizen... "

"Narrows it down _lots_ in this town," Faith remarked.

"Would someone have summoned these things, maybe?" Lines furrowed between Willow's eyebrows.

"No, I don't believe so," Giles looked momentarily introspective. "There are only a few rare texts that deal with summoning elder beings or their servants, and regardless, only a completely insane and exceptionally dark practitioner would even think to attempt such."

"Again with the not narrowing down, G-man," Xander said, sourly.

"Errr, yes. Quite." Giles removed his glasses again to polish. "Oh - while I'm reminded of summonings: did you ever track down the remaining members of that circle from a few weeks ago?

Cordelia brightened. "Oh yeah. Faith and I already made the rounds and talked with them."

"Drove home the point that demon summoning wasn't a good plan," Faith nodded. She made a fist, cracking all the knuckles on her right hand.

Giles nodded. "Excellent initiative. Well done."

"So. Maps and burial records?" Willow said.

"Research again," Xander shook his head. "I seem to remember when summer vacation equaled 'away from homework'."

"Pre-Hellmouth, Dweeb," Cordelia stated. "Pre-Hellmouth."

**...**

_**Friday August 21, 1998; Kaylee's Diner, late night.**_

"Well, that was kind of a bust," Faith frowned at her plate of omelet and hash browns. Oz and Willow having gone straight home after patrol, that left the trio relaxing on their own in their corner diner booth.

"Bad food?" Xander frowned. Faith shot him a glare that said 'no, idiot,' and shook her head.

Swallowing, she washed down the mouthful and said, "No. Not finding anything that might lead to a lair of those things."

"Ah." Xander nodded. "Not that I really want to get our asses kicked again, but... yeah."

"Scouting, remember?" Cordelia said. "As in: no contact with the hideous corpse chewing monsters?"

"Best laid plans," Xander reminded her and Faith's frown deepened. "Cheer up," he said, noticing her glum look. "They're three down and no recent grave disturbances means we probably scared them off."

"Right."

Cordelia looked doubtful as well. "Oh, and that happens how often?" She shrugged, glancing at her bandaged forearm, "Not that I'm complaining, either."

"Yeah, guess so. Just kinda want this over, y'know?" Faith's shoulders lifted and fell. "So we can get back to more regular stuff, like dusting vamps."

"Regular and safer," Xander said. He looked surprised, "And I never thought I'd hear myself call getting my butt kicked by vamps 'safer'."

Faith smirked, "Good to have a break between the real nasties," she said, agreeing. She pushed her empty plate away and leaned back. "Stuffed for now."

Xander and Cordelia looked at each other and said, "Sign of the Apocalypse" and started laughing.

"Goofs." Faith smirked, stretching. She looked between her two friends and said, "Hey. Gotta question that's probably stepping in it, but I'm nosy. Feel free to tell me to butt out if you want, no worries."

Xander shrugged, "Deal. Shoot."

"Ok. Ummm... what was this Kendra chick like that came before me?" Faith gave them a curious look.

"Hoo boy," Cordelia said.

"Snicker," Xander shook his head. "Wow. Don't know where to begin on that one."

"What makes that such a hard question?" Faith lifted an eyebrow.

"Well, for one, we really didn't have that long a chance to get to know her: she showed up the first time because her Watcher sent her, left, and came back just... kinda in time to deliver that sword to use against Acathla, and Drusilla killed her."

"Pretty much," Cordelia said, nodding. "Let's see... the Council was too cheap to get her a plane ticket so she stowed away on a plane from Jamaica to get here. She attacked Angel and almost killed him... "

"All for the good, that," Xander said. Cordelia swatted him on the arm.

"Got in a fight with Buffy because she saw Buffy kissing Angel and thought Buffy was a vamp," Cordelia continued. "Again, not seeing a bad side," she snarked.

"Not for the good, but can see making the mistake." Xander shrugged, glaring at an unapologetic Cordelia. "Let's see: she liked books and research, and had Giles in major crush mode because she was like a Slayer with a Junior Watcher merit badge," Faith grinned at that, "and she was real shy - she wasn't allowed around guys at all."

"_Completely_ unlike a certain other Slayer we know, who shall go unnamed," Cordelia put in.

"But who's initials are 'Faith'," Xander said, grinning. "Who probably _shouldn't_ be allowed arou- no, wait, I'm not going there because she'll hurt me." Faith snickered.

Cordelia cocked her head slightly, with a thoughtful expression, "Better fighter than Buffy, I think."

Xander shook his head, then considered, "Maybe. But way 'By the Book' and less flexible."

"So... how'd she die, then?" Faith cocked her head, with an intent expression.

Cordelia and Xander exchanged looks, and shrugged. "Don't know for certain. Pretty sure Drusilla slashed her throat, but... "

"I freaked and ran. I thought Xander and Willow were dead as far as I knew – Xander shoved me and yelled to run and then got knocked down - and Giles probably was, and we were surrounded by vamps plus insane-o Drusilla and that psycho Spike," Cordelia said, flatly. "I'm not real proud of that," she added. Xander rubbed her shoulder gently.

"And I was kind of out of it, mostly," Xander shrugged again. "Arm broken and I was knocked down for a bit, Cordy _probably_ thought I was down for the count."

"Good to know Cordy's human at last. Kinda, anyway," Faith smirked. Cordelia rolled her eyes.

Xander laughed, then added, "_Think_ she used her thrall thing on Ken, but not sure." Cordelia leaned up against him as Xander shrugged. "I was stunned and able to watch, but I couldn't manage to start getting up until Drusilla was already standing over Ken, and they'd hauled off Giles"

"She was starting to unbend a bit though, after she got to Sunnydale," Cordelia said. "Let's see: very pretty, kinda resourceful, mini-Giles-ish, and Ms. Robo-slayer. I forget anything? Oh - very strange accent."

"Huh," Xander said, "Think the big thing: raised by her Watcher almost from birth and just taught 'slay slay slay!'. No family like we are. Have. Are. Is?"

"Huh." Faith looked between the two of them from under her eyebrows, then focused on Xander. "Sounds interesting. But kinda wicked depressing."

"Why the sudden curiosity?" Cordelia asked.

"Dunno. Not sudden," Faith scowled. "Kinda strange knowing someone died to give you the boost, and not knowing anything about them. Watcher's Journals didn't have much on her, 'least not the ones I saw."

"Watchers." Cordelia shook her head with a disgusted expression. "I like _Giles_, but I'm starting to think the rest aren't worth the explosives it would take to launch them into orbit."

"Mine w-is ok," Faith cocked her head, and changed the subject, "So... family, huh?" she asked. Xander grinned.

"Hmmm." Cordelia sighed, "I have _so_ come down in the world."

"You'll live," Faith assured her. "And no, dating C isn't incest, Xan."

"Damn straight." She tilted her head slightly, studying Faith. All she said was, "Family works. In kind of a bizarre Adams Family sort of way." She looked sideways at Xander, "Right, Pugsley?" Xander spluttered.

"Works. 'K," Faith tossed a couple of bills on the table. "Cover mine for now? I'm going to go hit Willy's and I'll meet you guys back at the ranch."


	6. Chapter 5: But It's a Manly Thing

**Chapter 5: But It's a Manly Thing - **

_**Friday August 21, 1998; Willy's Alibi Room, night.**_

Whatever lack of business Willy's had on weekend afternoons, he more than made up for on Friday nights it seemed. The main room was filled at almost every table, stool, and booth with things with scales, hair, horns, fur, feathers, hooves, suckers, and just about every imaginable combination of other appendages. There were even a fairly wide variety of humanoid and near human demons scattered about.

And all of them stopped whatever they were doing and stared at Faith in silence as she walked in the front door.

Faith stopped, hands on her hips, and glowered around the room for a long several minutes as the silence deepened. "Well?" She finally demanded. "You guys are taking pictures, let me know when you're done 'cause I want copies."

"Slayer," Willy bobbed his head nervously and started around the bar. Faith's head swiveled like a gun turret and pinned him with her eyes.

"Whoa!" Willy threw his hands up, "Uh, Slayer, I just want you to know, uh, I... "

"Can it, Willy," Faith shook her head, slowly. She stalked over to the bar, and Willy gulped and backed up until he had the heavy bar top between her and himself. She cocked her head and looked at him, then at the bar top, then back. "You, err, know that's not going to help, right?"

"Uh, can't blame a guy for trying?" Willy did his best to look ingratiating.

"Sure you can," Faith remarked. She waved a hand tiredly and leaned on the bar, "Boo!"

Willy jumped, then scowled. "You're not mad?" He ventured.

"Sure I am. Still mad enough to rip off someone's head and shit down their neck," Faith said. She looked thoughtful, and added in a conversational tone, "Did that recently. The head part, not the other. You know you can actually rip a demon's head off with your hands if you're pissed off enough?"

The area immediately around Faith's end of the bar suddenly became a lot less crowded as a number of patrons found other places to be. Willy turned a sickly pale and gulped again.

Faith glanced around, her eyebrows lifting in amusement, "Something bugging them?"

"No no, nothing," Willy shook his head hard enough that she expected it to rattle. "Think they just don't want to be handy if you decide to practice your new skill, y'know?"

"Ah," Faith nodded, "Relax, Willy." Faith's head tilted and she examined him. "I thought you'd sold me and Harris on purpose, you'd already be dead, and this place would still be smoking."

"Right," Willy swallowed again nervously. "Your predecessor wouldn't have let that stop he-"

Faith's eyes narrowed, and he cut off in mid word. "Ain't her," she said, quietly. "I have to keep saying that, I may have to take you out just so I won't have to listen to the next guy saying it."

"Right. Uh, no problem, nossir. Mamn." Willy's eyes got wider. "Uh, hey! You wanna beer? Let me get you a beer, that sounds good, right? I got something new in just in case and... " Willy disappeared under the bar like a startled prairie dog, and popped up with a cold Samuel Adams, setting it down in front of her.

Faith looked down at it, then back up at Willy. "A Sammy? You got those in for me?" She shook her head, and twisted off the cap, "Aww."

"Yeah? You like it?" Willy brightened, then glowered, "Look, Slayer, didn't have nuthin' to do with all that. Those guys came in like customers, hung around y'know, and next thing, I was getting told at knuckle point they were my new partners and they now owned fitty-one percent." He shook his head with a disgusted expression, "And I don't need any damned partners," he added, indignantly.

"Right," Faith said. "You got rid of your bar decoration," she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to the television stand.

"Up on the roof," Willy's eyes went hard for a moment, and then he was his obsequious self again, "Clashed with the decor and it smelled bad."

"Right," Faith nodded. "Ok. I don't blame you, but you owe me. Owe Harris. So here's the deal," she took a drink of her Sam Adams, and leaned forward. "I walk in and want to hear about something, you got, you give. When I think it adds up to two body's worth of bruises, cracked ribs, concussions, and hairline fractures, I'll let you know and we're quits and we go back to our previous arrangement."

"Uh... " Willy began, then saw the look in Faith's eyes behind her casual expression and blanched. "Right. No problem," he nodded like a bobble-head doll.

"Good," Faith nodded. She finished her Sam Adams, and reached into her back pocket and tossed something on the bar. Willy glanced at it and his eyes got round.

"_Christ_, Slayer!" Willy slapped his hand down and made the packet disappear. "Are you nuts? Come back in the back, dammit!" He waved the other bartender over to cover, and headed for his office, muttering.

Closing the door behind her after she followed him through, Willy glared at her, then gulped and turned pale at her return glare. "Are you nuts?" He asked.

"Well, yeah." Faith smirked, "What is that shit?"

"Dunno, but it's hot," Willy said, examining the little glassine packet. "Whole shitload of vamps have been moving some of this crap between 'em like trading cards." He glanced up, "Some crap outta Europe someone's been bringing in through LA, all I know."

"Well, someone's been moving it through here," Faith remarked. "Y'know that vamp nest you sold me? This stuff was all over one of the work tables."

"Dunno, honest," Willy shook his head again. "Just know what I gave you. And that this stuff's supposed to be some sort of drug for vamps."

"All right," Faith took the packet back and slid it back into her pocket. "Not connected to those goons?"

"Naw, Slayer, they were newcomers. Gambling, demon brothels, protection rackets, and fencing, not drugs so as I know," Willy said. "_This_ stuff's been floating around awhile, from what little I know: vamp circles only. They _might_ have been looking to get their fingers in the pies, though."

"Right," Faith looked thoughtful. "Ok. I want to know who's doing it, what it does, and what it is. And I'm going to find out one way or another."

"Huh." Willy's eyes went distant for a minute, then focused. "There's a suck house off Devereau in an abandoned building, y'know – the one with the clock tower?"

Faith nodded. "Suck house?"

"Yeah," Willy made a face. "Vamp brothel where people go to pay vamps to suck on 'em – supposed to give humans a high. Not to the death, though, right? Just a little draining." Willy grimaced, rolling his eyes, "Don't see the attraction, myself."

"People _pay_ to get the bite from vamps? Like, willingly?" Faith's voice was incredulous. "What the fuck, over?"

"Well, yeah. Hey – people have all kinds of kinks, Slayer," Willy shrugged. "Just don't tell 'em I sent you if you go there, hey?"

"Right. Ok... got something to take care of first anyway. That can wait a bit." Faith made a face, "Got some kind of ghouls eating bodies running around, Nightgrunts or something."

Willy's eyebrows went up, "The grave robberies? Now that I really haven't heard anything on. But the usual night stalkers been jabberin' about the grave thing."

"You do hear, I wanna know. Damned things got a piece of the cheerleader and I wanna make sure it don't happen again," Faith stated. She gave him a casual wave. "Laters."

She pulled the door open and let it swing shut behind her when she went out.

**...**

_**Friday August 21, 1998; Chase Manor pool house, late night.**_

"Hey guys." Xander and Cordy were curled up on the couch with chips and popcorn watching a movie when she got back. Faith plopped in on Xander's other side and helped herself to a handful of sour cream and onion chips, "What're we watching?"

"The Cowboys," Cordelia said across Xander's chest, making a face. "Harris here is trying to sell me on the socially redeeming qualities of profanity, guns, and sweaty boys on horseback." Cordelia quirked an eyebrow in a gesture that Faith was starting to recognize as 'targeting mode ON' and added, "Or he's letting me in subtly on his hidden homoerotic fantasies, not sure which."

Xander's eyes bugged out and he jackknifed forward, a spray of potato chip crumbs scattering all over the coffee table. "Hey! No homoerowhatevers here! You take that back!" He glared, spluttering.

"Score, girlfriend," Faith leaned across to slap palms with a smirking Cordelia. "Think you hit an 8.6 on the freakout meter there."

"He's _so_ easy," Cordelia said, snuggling in under Xander's arm.

"Am not," Xander grumbled, shifting his arm so she could get comfortable. "This is _quality_ violence and entertainment, I'll have you know. _Manly_ stuff."

"Sure it is," Faith smirked. "Share, Hopalong." She picked up Xander's other arm and scooted under it.

"Sweaty men in underwear," Cordelia nodded. "No women."

"Yup. Think the Xan has a thing for Mr. Nightlinger?"

"No! No thing! No _thing_ going on here! None!"

Faith looked down, and raised the bowl of chips to poke at Xander's waistband, "Not what the Cordy tells me. But she won't let me check for myself, dammit."

"Hey!" Xander swatted her hand away, turning red. "And there are _too_ women. It has a traveling brothel," he stuck his tongue out at Cordelia.

"That it does," Faith nodded. "But the Duke dies."

"Oh great. _Spoil_ the ending," Cordelia complained. She took a handful of popcorn to eat one puff at a time.

"Sorry," Faith said.

"How was Willy's?" Xander asked.

"Still there," Faith said. "He didn't have anything much. But he gave me a place to check on that red crap." She chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed, then added. "Struck a deal: he owes us for that business, so he coughs up what he hears and I don't break him, until I think we're level again."

"Sounds good," Xander said, settling in more comfortably.

"Ow! That _so_ looks painful," Cordelia remarked, eyes going wide at the screen where Bruce Dern was shooting Wayne to pieces. "Yuck."

"Getting to the good parts," Faith agreed, nodding.

"See anything else?" Xander asked.

"Naw," Faith scowled. "Took a cut through Restfield and several others on the back, but didn't see or hear anything. Not even vamps."

Awhile later, Cordelia remarked, "I have a horse. His name's Kuneau," she pointed at the screen. "Looks like that one."

"Really? Wow," Faith looked at her. "Never knew anyone that had their own horse before."

"He's out at the stable at our cabin," Cordelia threw a smile at Faith and nodded. "We could go see him sometime if the two of you want to."

"Cool," Faith said.

**...**

_**From the personal Journals of Rupert Giles, Watcher:**_

_It has been some time since my last personal journal entry, even though I have been maintaining better consistency with my official Watcher's diary. This, I fear, shall not only be belated, but a rather brief entry as well. I shall endeavor to exercise more diligence in these pages in days to come, perhaps filling in some of the blanks between existing entries as I go._

_My return to Sunnydale from Mexico found me rather disheartened: even though I hadn't expected the lead there to prove fruitful, I discovered that when it did not that my hopes had been rather higher than I had been aware of. However, there was no Buffy Summers in Matamoros, as I had steeled myself to expect. There was merely a young tourist woman who had both the good fortune to emerge unscathed from one vampiric encounter, dusting one completely by accident with a sharp piece of wood she had grasped with which to fend off her presumed 'attempted rapist', and the misfortune to __not__ emerge victorious in her susequent encounter with a different vampire a day after our conversation._

_Needless to say, that encounter and interview was distressing to me on all possible counts._

_As well, it rather struck home to me just what grave risks these children under my care face on a regular basis, completely without benefit of Slayer abilities or even Watcher preparation. Both their bravery and continued good fortune continues to amaze me, as well as leaving me with a strong sense of mingled dismay at the dangers they hurl themselves into and awe that they do so willingly, knowing what they face out there in the darkness each night._

_The rifts within their small group that I had mentioned in my previous entry seem to have initially worsened, and then repaired themselves during my absence and in the days following my return. No. Not 'repaired themselves': been repaired by the efforts of the children themselves, I believe, and forming into new bonds both stronger in some ways, and yet more fragile in others. I have not inquired how, nor as to the causes, nor shall I do so as long as they seem to be attending to these issues themselves. Better that they believe that I am a rather clueless fellow and completely oblivious to their interpersonal dynamics rather than to appear to be meddling in affairs they may rightly consider private. Aside from offering a sympathetic ear if any of them require it, I would much prefer to remain out of these matters rather than to risk causing damage of my own with well intentioned but inept meddling. (Again, I am suffering under no illusions that I truly understand teenagers nor have I any understanding of what they truly do or do not require from an adult figure.)_

_On a similar, yet divergent topic, I find the ongoing restructuring and re-bonding process to be fascinating to watch. The bonds between Faith, young Xander Harris, and Cordelia Chase appear to strengthen visibly and almost daily. And while neither withdrawing from nor being pushed aside from the group, a similar process seems to be happening with Willow Rosenberg and young Oz. They seem to be forming a tight group consisting of a trio and a pair, with young Harris rather precariously balancing between his lifelong friendship with Willow, and his deepening bonds with Cordelia and Faith. While there can be little doubt that the internal strains must create inevitable fracture lines, the resulting synergy does seem to have resulted in a rather effective combat unit - quite possibly even tighter in some ways and more effective than it was as a quad involving Buffy Summers._

_Buffy Summers, __I am now realizing only in retrospect and by comparison__, had a group of often disjointed followers. A 'tightly knit band of rugged individuals', as I once heard a mercenary acquaintance remark in describing a unit._

_Faith__ seems to be surrounding herself with a__ team__. No less individualistic, but often more cohesive and often drawing more upon each other's strengths to complement another's weaknesses. As well, it seems to be coming about without any overt effort, nor possibly even __intentional__ efforts, upon Faith's part to achieve this synergy._

_I say 'possibly' because while I remain certain that Faith is more possessed of interpersonal skills than she cares to pretend, I cannot be certain how much conscious effort may be involved on her part._

_Were I to extend another of my old mercenary acquaintance's analogies, Cordelia is the clear leader even though she strives mightily to not appear to be (unless it becomes unavoidable for her to take charge), with Faith preferring a support and err, 'muscle' role, Xander being the loyal non-com, and Willow and Oz being the intelligence and support components - Oz's calm steadiness especially valuable as an anchor for the group with Xander's clowning and humour providing a similar component in overall morale. The changes in Cordelia herself from the girl I had observed over the course of the previous two years have been remarkable._

_I can also say that despite the presumable stress his balancing act must entail, I have never before seen Xander Harris happier or more contented than he has been of late. (I will __also__ state that if a young heterosexual male of his age were to be living in close proximity to two such attractive and delightful young women as Cordelia and Faith and __prove able to __not__ be ecstatic, I would be tempted to soundly smack the poor fellow with a large, dense object. I would judge him utterly bereft of the wit needed to contribute to the human species in any meaningful fashion.)_

_If it seems that I am spending far too much attentiveness upon the group, rather than upon my Slayer, I must offer in my defense that to my knowledge, what I am observing and relating here is unique. There has never been a Slayer such as Buffy Summers or Faith who has had such a support group, and it would be criminal of me to not observe and record my insights._

_As well, I have to admit privately that these young people fascinate me._

_Faith herself continues to both delight and dismay me in equal measure. Delight, in that she displays an enthusiasm for training and for Slaying that is quite infectious, as well as being a truly effective Slayer. It is also delightful to observe as she slowly begins to lower some of her defenses and __tentatively allow her friends, and to a lesser extent, myself, past her armour.__ Dismay, in that she can be __truly reckless at times, I fear, and I sense undercurrents within her of hidden pain and deep rage. I am constantly concerned that despite the strong leash she seems to be keeping upon that tendency, one day that leash shall snap with potentially disastrous results. My greatest concern is that her growing bonds with her few friends may also be her greatest weakness, and threat of harm coming to Xander or Cordelia may cause that loss of control._

_The incident a few days back with the Nightgaunts being a prime example: my examination of the battle site and the accounts given by Xander, Willow, and Oz indicate that injury to Cordelia and Xander sent Faith into a state very near to berserker rage. Had I not seen the evidence, I would scarcely credit that even a Slayer could shatter a demon and remove its head merely with bare hands and main strength alone. I had moments where I feared that I would not be up to the task of drawing her out of the shell of shock and fear into which she had withdrawn by the time I met them at hospital. My fears that she would react to that stress by withdrawing from her friendships completely proved to be unfounded, however, something that I find relieves me greatly._

_As a side note, if I am to continue to act in this role of mentor and surrogate parent that both circumstances and some of the children have pushed me towards, I am going to have to make greater effort to actually act en loco parentis in regards to them. At the very least, doing so within such capacities as my role as Watcher prepares me to be able to. One such effort shall be to undertake offering training to Xander, Cordelia, and the others, as Faith suggested to me._

_At the very least I can do so with the inner satisfaction of knowing that such a step would quite possibly send Quentin Travers and his cronies into apoplexy._

_Another would be to carefully broach with Faith the subject of her possibly resuming her education in some fashion. My experiences with Buffy Summers have left me convinced that an integral obligation of a Watcher is to not only help my Slayer to live, but to ensure that she has all of the tools needed to live, no matter what that life encompasses. Kendra, through no fault of her own, served as a blinding example of just how limited a life can be when confined merely to the strictures of Slaying. However, I find myself with no small trepidation at this: I believe that Faith may prove entirely resistant to the concepts of traditional schooling._

_In reading back, I see that this has turned into something far from a 'brief' entry. _

_That being the case, I shall close here after reflecting that, while I still have hopes that Buffy will either be located or shall return on her own, I do find myself with some trepidation as to what disruptions her return might cause. Two slayers would prove to have a unique effectiveness if they were to prove able to work together, and would enhance the survival potential of both._

_However, I would prefer to __not__ see that at the expense of the destruction of the as yet fragile existence that young Faith is building here with us. I fear that Faith and Buffy's styles and personalities are far too dissimilar for them to easily accommodate to each other._

_- Rupert Giles, Watcher; In this Year of Our Lord 1998, August the 21st._


	7. Chapter 6: Unnatural Habitats

**Chapter 6: Unnatural Habitats - **

_**Saturday August 22, 1998; Sunnydale High School Library, afternoon.**_

"According to the paper here, there seem to have been a small rash of grave disturbances last night," Giles stated, adjusting his glasses.

"A small rash? Is that like a... a... " Xander trailed off with a blank expression. "Sorry, I have nothing to end that with."

"Man... " Faith gave Giles a disgusted look. "We hit the various graveyards last night, and I went through several again on the way back from Willy's."

"It is entirely possible that they struck after your patrols," Giles said. "Or elsewhere from your patrolling and you never saw the grave sites or signs of their kills."

"Or they're avoiding us until we're gone." Cordelia said. "Which I don't _mind_, you know, but... "

"Oh! Which could mean there really is only a few left and they don't want to tackle us again," Willow's expression brightened.

"Makes it harder to wipe 'em out," Faith said. Her expression darkened, "And they don't just go for _dead_ bodies, based on what G said he found."

"Yeah," Willow slumped, looking glum.

"Perhaps we can break out the maps again, with these new locations, and possibly narrow down an area where they might be located," Giles remarked.

"I'm having an idea, I think," Xander said. He held up one finger after a quick sidelong glance at Cordelia, saying, "I'm sure it's an idea because my brain hurts differently than usual."

Corelia closed her mouth, scowling. "You only went there because I was about to," she grumbled.

Xander smirked at her, "The other three only pulled a fade after Faith killed the first two and ripped that one's head off."

"So," Willow scowled, "If they are watching and avoiding us, it's probably because they're recognizing Faith?" Faith raised her eyebrows, then scowled as well.

"Don't think I like where this is heading," she muttered.

"And your idea would be... ?" Cordelia started, then her eyes widened. "Oh no, Harris..."

"Bait," Xander finished. "We patrol while Faith skulks around off from us and we lure them out... and you know? The longer I talk the stupider this idea sounds."

"You think?!" Cordelia said. "Hello!" She waved her bandaged arm, "We could stake _you_ out by a fresh grave and build a tree blind, too, but even _I'm_ not suggesting that."

Giles frowned, sticking his hands in his pockets and gazing into the distance. "Hmmm."

"No." Faith folded her arms over her chest, glowering at Xander. Raising his eyebrows quizzically, Xander frowned back.

"Well, the basic idea does have merit, Faith," Giles began.

"_No._" Faith transferred the glower to Giles and raised him a narrowing of the eyes. He cut off abruptly, looking uncomfortable.

"Well, _I'm_ with Faith. That's _insane_, and I say that as someone who's come to _know_ insane when I see it, over the past two years," Cordelia stated. "That's 'dating_ Xander_' level insane." Xander snorted and shot her a wounded look. Her lips twitched and she sent him an apologetic glance back. "Drusilla level insane."

"But... it _could_ work, you know," Willow started.

The glower migrated to Willow and upped in intensity. "No, Red. Last time two of those things damn near killed you and Cordy and I was _right on top of you_. You _really_ wanna try this with me off somewhere thirty-forty seconds farther away?" Faith took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair.

"Well... ?" Willow's eyes grew large.

"Right."

"If the risks involved could perhaps be reduced to acceptable levels, would you consider it, Faith?" Giles asked her.

Faith looked up at him from under her brows, "Is this one of those 'a Slayer has to be prepared to make hard choices' things, Giles?"

"Well," Giles reached up to lower his glasses and peer over them at her, "Perhaps more in the nature of learning to weigh unpalatable risks against the necessities of duty, I would say."

"Not a learning curve I think I'm ready to tackle just yet," Faith said, quietly. "Rather find another plan." Her eyes told him, _'please don't try to make me'_. Giles nodded silently and glanced away. His memory persisted in supplying him with images of Faith's face as she stood guard over Cordelia's treatment in the Emergency ward...

"Perhaps it _would_ be better to examine other options before resorting to that one just yet, Xander," Giles said, softly.

Xander exchanged looks with Willow and Cordelia and shrugged. "Maps, anyone?" Giles pursed his lips, gazing thoughtfully at Faith.

**...**

_**Saturday August 22, 1998; Sunnydale High School, Evening.**_

"I'm stumped," Xander slumped against the side of the steps in front of the school, Cordelia sitting next to him.

"Yeah, that was kind of a bust," Willow agreed. She blew a lock of hair out of her eyes, looking dejected.

"I know. I mean - all these books and Watcher brains, and out of twelve graveyards we can't find _one_ where a gang of three-eyed carnivorous ghouls would want to play house?" Cordelia shook her head. "Vampires? Vampires are easy. Old warehouse, desecrated church, abandoned house, blood bank... "

"Huh." Faith leaned against one of the other support pillars, and nodded. "And vamps hunt at regular places."

"Yeah," Willow said. "Like on Discovery Channel with the lions and stuff. Only, these... don't seem to have any patterns."

Xander nodded, "Don't have to _just_ scrounge graves, 'cause they can always grab a live snack." There were faces made all around at that. "And no body for the cops to find and the Herald to do an 'Unexplained Wild Animal Attack, Monsters Not Involved' story on."

"Yah. This town?" Faith shook her head, "Few bloodstains on grass or a sidewalk are a 'BBQ Fork Murder'."

"Film at Eleven," Cordelia agreed.

"By the way, thanks," Willow said, looking up.

"Huh?" Faith's forehead creased. "For what?"

"The whole 'grr' and glowering thunderclouds at Xander and Giles thing," Willow said. "You know."

"Hey! Speaking as one of the thundercloud targets," Xander started, then he looked thoughtful, "I am kinda glad you shot it down. Was kind of stupid."

"Ah." Faith's teeth flashed in a grin. She shrugged, "No probs." Glancing across to Xander she scuffed the step with her boot and said, "Not stupid, Xan. Just... something about that whole idea set me on edge."

Cordelia looked thoughtful, "I know I agreed it was insane, and the idea of getting mangled again? _So_ not attractive! But... we have a _right_ to take risks, you know."

"I know," Faith scowled, nodding. "I mean - hey. That big demon, the vamp lair, those thugs... I didn't have any major problem with everyone ganging in and doing it together, right?" Cordelia and the others reflected for a moment nodding. "And we all could have been toast on any of those."

"Ok," Xander said, slowly, "Then... ?"

"Why?" Faith shrugged, looking down. "What do you want me to say?"

"Flat truth? Like when you went boom! on the way from Mrs. Summers?" Willow' lips twitched, then she grinned. Cordelia and Xander watched, curious.

"Hah!" Faith laughed. "Want me to pull a Jack Nicholson on you?"

"Huh?" Willow's eyes went puzzled for a moment. "Oh! You mean, 'You want the TRUTH? Grr, You can't HANDLE the Truth!' and all?" She started laughing. "Hey - hit me, I can take it. Only, like, don't _really_ hit me because you'd like probably cave my chest in, but -"

"Yeah, like that," Faith cut in, still laughing. "Ok. Take those thug demons. We had a chance to set up and go in on our terms and catch them flatfooted, right? Dangerous and stupid, but... " Faith spread her hands. After a moment, the others nodded. "These things were _fast_, Red. And _strong_. If it hadn't been for that vamp, they'd of boiled over on us and caught us _all_ flatfooted. Just two of them hit you and Cordy almost before I could _move_."

Willow nodded slowly, her eyes going wide. "Yeah."

Nod. "You've got brains, Cordy's got the common sense, Xan's got like, tactics and he's good at killing the tension thing, right? Oz may be quiet, but he's kinda solid." Faith paused, "Me... I know fighting, and when something says 'whoa, bad move', sometimes I listen."

"You sure it's not just the me and Willow almost dying thing?" Cordelia asked, quietly.

Faith scowled, then spread her hands slowly, Xander and Cordelia watching her intently. "Does it matter?" She asked in an equally quiet voice.

Cordelia tilted her head, considering. "Yes," she said slowly, "Because it would matter to me if I saw _you_ almost get killed, and then thought you were about to take an insane risk and make it happen again." She added, "And yes, because _sometimes_ we have to take insane risks anyway."

"Yeah," Willow nodded. So did Xander after a moment.

"You got me," Faith's scowl deepened. "I'm losing my edge and getting to be a softy. Happy now?" Her tone was light, but it came out like teeth were being pulled.

"Pretty much," Cordelia's teeth flashed as the thousand watt grin came out.

"Don't sweat it. Promise - if it's something end of the world and best thing is for us all to jump in screaming and die horribly, I'll drag you guys in with me, 'k?"

"Well, that's a relief!" Willow's grin widened and she started laughing.

"You guys are nuts," Faith stated. "I must be nuts too."

"Yeah." Willow stared at Faith intently. "Buffy liked having friends help, but she always kind of pushed us back," she held her hand up as Faith's face darkened and she started to open her mouth. "No, let me finish before I lose my nerve. Cordy's had her say, and Xander, and you, and... please?" Willow looked intently at Faith, her eyes very serious.

Faith stared at her, then nodded abruptly.

"I always kinda got the idea that it was because she liked having us, but she didn't want us to get hurt, and she was the Slayer and all," Willow went on. "You - you're different, and that's not bad, but most of the time I don't know why you do things or understand anything about you. A-an-and I want to." She paused and took a deep breath, "And things are all different now and Cordy's changing and the three of you are all together, and I don't understand anything any more."

Xander opened his mouth, then shut it, looking thoughtful and uncomfortable.

"This is another one of those sharing things I suck at, right?" Faith said, her eyebrows rising.

"Well, yeah!" Willow looked startled, then laughed. "Guess so."

"I don't have friends," Faith's voice was flat. "And now I got you guys. And it's all different for me too." She paused, "You're gonna have to try and get past it when I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

"We're not all _together_ together, Will," Xander said, shrugging. He spread his hands, "Just... together. It's hard to explain. But I'm still your friend."

Willow nodded and Faith added, "We all are." She flashed Cordelia a grin, adding, "'Cept for maybe Cordelia, and she's got issues."

"I _so_ do not," Cordelia returned the grin. "I'm perfectly well adjusted - leave my knobs alone."

"But they're such _nice_ knobs to play with," Faith leered, and Willow turned bright red. Cordelia laughed, her eyes dancing.

"Ahem," Xander said. "So... patrol?"

"Huh." Faith shrugged. "Gotta idea. We're one out with Oz and the guys playing at the Shelter Club. After we get done with dinner at Mrs. S's, why don't you guys all go Bronze it or go watch Oz and dance or something. I'm going to get some alone time and patrol." She grinned, "All this touchy feely crap's got me itchy."

Cordelia frowned. "You sure? Not going to go hunting for those things on your own, are you?"

"Well, yeah," Faith shrugged. "And no - just going to stake out one of the new graves the paper had, and follow them back wherever if they show up." Faith's lips twitched, "Like that lion thing Red mentioned: you stake out the game trails and hide."

**...**

_**Saturday August 22, 1998; Restfield Cemetery, a few hours before dawn.**_

The list of dug open graves that Giles and Willow had put together also gave a rough idea of when the Nightgaunts liked to feed. Faith wasn't expecting much on the first one or two, at least not this early, but if the previous dry patrols had taught her anything, it was that they really had no idea what to expect of these things. Faith figured on spending a couple of hours watching each one and moving on, then circling back from the end of the line. Shifting slightly, she adjusted her seat in the comfortable perch in the tree she'd picked overlooking the fresh grave a few dozen yards away and mentally ticked off the few they did.

While they didn't seem to have any problems with slightly older bodies, they seemed to prefer freshly buried corpses: something the summer's high vamp/demon population provided quite a few of...

They considered vamps an acceptable 'fresh corpse', but they didn't seem to go hunting for them. Willy would probably have overheard his patrons complaining if something was hunting the local vamp population besides the Scoobies.

They evidently only hunted at night. No daytime accounts/rumors of cemetery visitors or staff stumbling on freaks digging into graves and 'wild animal attacks' on them. Which meant they laired up somewhere during the day.

They didn't seem to have any major pattern to their movements, and they didn't seem to drag off the carrion to save to feed on later.

They liked live prey too, but they didn't seem to have any hunting patterns, unlike vamps.

They supposedly liked to lair in 'corrupted places' in crypts, mausoleums, and graveyards. Or at least were able to enter and exit _this_ world through them, so they'd _probably_ lair nearby.

Not a lot to go on. So far, none of the rumored crypts, mausoleums, or other desecrated areas around and in Sunnydale's burial areas had any sign of being Nightgaunt lairs.

Vampire-like ability to see in the dark wasn't a part of the Slayer package, although what a Slayer did get was better than human levels. Faith's night vision had always been a bit higher than normal, even before she was Called, so the relative darkness wasn't a hindrance to her. She eased her position without moving by alternately tensing and relaxing her muscles and settled in to wait.

A downside of a stakeout like this was that it gave her lots of time to think. Too much, maybe, except that that was one of the major reasons she'd split off from the Scoobies for the night. She had a lot to sort out in her head that she really hadn't had a chance to work out lately.

Ever since she'd been Called, her life had been turned upside down and inside out repeatedly. At first in a good way: being Called really was the best thing to ever happen to her, and Professor Dormer had been a close second. For the first time in her life, she'd had power, strength, and something to strive to become, and someone who alternately cared about her, pushed her to succeed, saw something in her that was more than just a Southie street rat fated for a rough life with nothing to look forward to, and who saw her as something special. Diana had told her she could be the greatest Slayer that had ever lived, and then proceeded to try to show her how to do it. Diana's torture and murder at the hands of Kakistos and Trick had just confirmed the status quo for Faith: anything good that happened to her inevitably turned to shit, and anyone she cared about gotten taken away or betrayed her. Diana had just gotten taken away before she could go the second route.

Coming to Sunnydale had shaken hell out Faith's entire world view. The _worst_ shake up had been to the inside of Faith's head.

Diana had continually stressed that ultimately the Slayer fought alone against the Dark, and that outsiders couldn't be dragged into the hidden war or counted on. Faith had gleaned from the Watcher's Journals she'd sneaked into and read that Buffy's little gang of followers had upset that entire train of theories all through the Watcher's ranks, but details on them had been a bit lacking.

The reality of the Scoobies had not only been unexpected, it was completely different than the image she'd built inside her head.

Rupert Giles was both completely different from Diana Dormer, Faith's first Watcher and yet like her in many ways. Both seemed to want what was best for her, but where Diana had pushed and challenged Faith, and kept her caring and approval carefully hidden to be doled out sparingly, Giles was openly caring in surprising, if understated ways. He stated quietly that he thought Faith was extraordinary, and then casually expected her to be more so, and gave off a quiet glow of satisfaction when she proved him right. _Faith_ figured a lot of that was because he really didn't expect much out of her, so what she _did_ show him amazed him. She just wasn't ready to call him on it yet. For now, it was just cool for once to bask in having someone approve of her for what she was rather than telling her what she wasn't.

Mrs. Summers... Mrs. Summers didn't exist outside of bad TV, except that she did. Mrs. Summers was not only outside of Faith's experience, she was outside of Faith's comprehension. She _still_ figured Buffy needed a good, swift boot up the ass to go along with a 'hey dumbass' slap upside the back of the head.

The others... it had taken Faith a couple of short glimpses into Xander Harris' home life from the outside to realize he was her counterpart. Xander hid his reactions to whatever went on behind those walls beneath humor, sarcasm, and general clownishness as much as he hid who he really was down inside. Faith hid the same things behind bravado, sexual aggressiveness, outrageousness, and lack-of-give-a-shit 'tude. She suspected Harris was the better actor and she was pretty sure he was stronger than she was where it counted. And she'd never, ever met a guy who would take a beating like Harris had and then force himself up to take care of someone _else_ afterwards...

Cordelia Chase... Faith had never ever in her life met anyone like Cordelia. Now that she knew her, Faith 's mind automatically gave the other girl the highest compliment possible: _Cordelia_ should have been a _Slayer_. All she was missing was the superpowers. Faith knew her own mind and body well enough to know that at some point, she'd gone from 'me like' to 'me deep in crush' regarding the other girl in short order. Faith had had _sex_ with girls in the past, but this was the first one she thought she might have more than just lust for.

Willow and Oz... Faith _liked_ the little red head well enough, but her neediness and insecurity was wearying. Both the Slayer and the street kid in Faith recognized Willow's not very well hidden crush on Xander as a threat to her and Cordelia's connection with Harris. At the same time, Willow was fun to be around, usually, and smart. Not only that, but a major key to being friends with Xander and to the harmony of the little group. Oz was just like any of the musician wannabes she'd known growing up, except none of them, including Kenny, had had half of the little guitarist's guts or solidness. Faith decided she liked him, even if the wolf thing set her inner Slayer's back teeth on edge and caused her to distrust him slightly. Faith figured she could put up with and work with Willow if she needed to. She'd at least give them both a chance.

The beating and the aftermath seemed to have welded her, Cordelia, and Xander together in some way that Faith couldn't figure out. She'd never known anything like it, and couldn't begin to come up with words for it. What she did know was that she wanted it; wanted something like what Cordelia and Xander were developing; wouldn't mind having it with the both of them, and wanted it with a fierceness that scared hell out of her. She couldn't believe they were even for real - and yet, Cordelia was one of the _realest_ people Faith had ever met.

Faith knew two things, down deep in the core of her being: 1) anything she felt that way about was going to be destroyed and taken away from her, and 2) anything that even tried to take _this_ away from her would see her dead first. She might not deserve it, she might not believe in it, she might not have any idea of what the hell she was doing or how to go about it... but for _once_, she was going to try to not screw it up on her own or let anything happen to it. Somehow...

She discovered that at some point she'd been holding the Eshu amulet so tightly that the edges had cut into the bases of her fingers.

Faith was pretty certain she couldn't _handle_ having her world collapse in on itself, losing everything she dared care about, and having her guts ripped out yet again. She doubted she could _survive_ it.

That settled in her mind, finally, at least as much as it could be, she checked her cheap watch and decided that odds were that the Nightgaunts weren't planning to hit this grave and it was time to move on.

A few hours from dawn found her wending her way back to the Chase house by way of the various cemeteries along the way. No dice on Nightgaunt spottings, although she did hit one new grave probably an hour after it had been visited and dug up. A definite sign that the idea had merit, unless Giles and Willow had better luck coming up with a lead through research. She had dusted well over a dozen or more vamps in or between various cemeteries, so the night wasn't a total loss.

If a faint scrabble of talons on dirt or concrete hadn't given her the barest of warnings, Faith would have been dead, dead, _dead_ before she ever hit the ground. It came in a skittering, near silent rush out of the darkness of Restfield and struck her bodily before she could even spin to face it. As it was, she barely managed to turn slightly so that the talons meant for her neck went over her shoulder instead. Jaws meant for her head gnashed air fractions of an inch from her ear rather than cracking her skull.

Her axe went sideways somewhere into the dark as she and the Nightgaunt tumbled end over end in a tangle of flailing limbs, fangs, snarls, and stench.

Somehow she managed to get a hand on its throat beneath the jaw as they rolled, hanging on for dear life while pounding it with fists and knees wherever an opportunity presented itself. When they smashed into and through a massive headstone, by pure chance the Nightgaunt was on top taking the brunt of the impact. Faith managed to get her legs around its midsection and swing under an elbow and around to its back as it crashed through to its feet in a hail of gravel and dust. She locked her ankles beneath it and her legs around its ribcage, one forearm wrapped around its throat, and her free hand snaked desperately behind her trying to draw her long dagger off handed.

Giving up on the dagger, she finally managed to contort enough to get her hand to her boot and onto the grip of Sensei Kanno's tanto as the thing whirled and rolled, attempting to smash, fling, or batter her off. The blade rose and fell, plunging into the ribs, putrid ichor spraying around them until at last the 'gaunt shuddered all over and collapsed beneath her.

Faith dropped the blade, got a hand under its jaw and the other on the side of its skull and twisted until she heard a rotten sounding crack. Then she pulled herself up a piece at a time on shaky legs, staggered a few feet away, bent double and puked her guts out until nothing but thin bile came up.

It took her over a half an hour to locate her axe and finally make it out of the cemetery.


	8. Chapter 7: First contact with our allies

**Chapter 7: First contact with our allies -**

_**Sunday August 23, 1998; Chase Manor pool house, early-early AM.**_

"Thought I heard something," yawning, Cordelia walked into the kitchenette to find a wet and bedraggled Faith leaning against the counter drinking a bottle of water. "Hey, just get in?"

Then the smell hit her and Cordelia covered her mouth and nose with a hand, gagging. "Eeuuggghhh! What died and then crawled all over you?"

"Whatta ya think?" Faith rolled her eyes.

"Oh my god! Are you ok?" Cordelia's eyes roamed Faith, looking for signs of injuries or blood.

"Only you could go from 'eew' to concerned in two-point-two seconds, C," Faith laughed. "Yeah, I'm ok. Bastard jumped me in Restfield when I was on the way back. Faith one, 'Gaunt zero."

"Ok," Cordelia nodded, folding her arms. under her breasts. "Now heading rapidly back to 'eew' at full throttle."

"Yeah yeah," Faith waved a hand, tiredly. "I sluiced off with someone's hose in a yard on the way back, but it didn't get all of it. Shoulda smelled me before. Gonna shower in a minute."

"It was _worse_?" Cordelia raised an eyebrow, then reached into the fridge for a water bottle. "And, eew with an ick on top." She straightened, and found a counter of her own to lean on, "And... have any luck, otherwise?"

Scowl. "Naw. But I did find where they'd been at one before I got there. Think we're on the right track, short of Giles and Red finding something."

Cordelia nodded, then made another face. "Sorry, but you _need_ to shower. That smell would gag a maggot convention."

"For a lady, Cordy, you have _such_ a way wi-- " Faith froze with her water bottle halfway to her lips and her eyes widened. After a moment, so did Cordelia's.

"Hmmm..." Cordelia tapped a fingernail against her chin, looking thoughtfully at Faith.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky?"

"Gee, I dunno, Brain," Cordelia said, deadpan, "But how did we manage to get a drive through lobotomy at this time of night?"

Faith snickered, "We really are idiots, aren't we?"

"Infringing on my trademarks again?" Xander wandered into the kitchenette, yawning, and both girls ran appreciative looks over his boxer clad frame. Xander stopped dead a step inside, his eyes widening in horror, and he retreated hastily. "Euughh! Don't know what you found, Faith, but I don't think you were supposed to _roll_ in it."

"Ha ha. Bite me, Harris," Faith gave him a pained look and held a finger up. "Sit on this and spin."

"Besides courting death by Slayer, what're you doing up?" Cordelia asked.

"Nature screamed," Xander said. "Then I discovered I was all alone so I came looking."

"Poor baby," Cordelia smirked. "I'd give you a kiss to make it better, but you're lurking out there."

"And here I'm going to stay," Xander stated. "Toss me a soda, would you? Thanks." He added, "So, why are we idiots now?"

"Ah," Faith said. "Think Cordy and I figured out a way to narrow down our lair search." She explained what had struck her a bit earlier.

"Okayyyy... Let me get this straight: you want to go sniffing at crypt doors for Eau de Nightgaunt?"

"When you put it like that, 'want to' is maybe a bit strong of a word," Cordelia frowned. But -"

"But if they smell like this even after I ran a hose over me for a half hour, just from rolling around in a fight with one," Faith stated, "Can you just imagine what a place they're been lairing in would smell like?"

"I can," Xander gave a vigorous nod, "That doesn't mean I _want_ to, thanks."

"We can figure out the details in a strategy session tomorrow," Cordelia decided. She looked at Faith, "You. Shower, _lots_. Then come to bed - you look exhausted." Cordelia tilted her head slightly, "We can burn that outfit tomorrow, too.

**...**

_**Sunday August 23, 1998; Sunnydale, Shady Hill Cemetery, mid/late afternoon.**_

The reek coming from the old mausoleum was apparent from twelve feet away, even with the door firmly shut. Farther away if the wind was right.

"Bingo," Faith said. "You're a genius, C."

"I wish to credit this discovery to my teammate who _bathed_ in 'Gaunt-reek no.12' last night," Cordelia said, smirking.

"You're too kind."

"What I don't get is how we missed this while patrolling," Xander made a face. Cordelia muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, '_I_ didn't miss it any.' The others ignored her.

"We don't hit this cemetery regularly?" Faith shrugged. "I dunno. It wasn't on the list, either."

"We did kind of run out of places we hadn't already checked," Cordelia said. She glanced at Faith, "You're not wanting to go in there, are you?"

Faith stared at the closed crypt door. "Well, yeah," she said, dubiously. "But... not in the day time while they're here, and we don't have any real weapons with us."

"Probably only a couple left, at least," Xander stated. He didn't look any more anxious to head into the mausoleum than the other two did.

"We think there's only two," Cordelia said, shaking her head. "Killed three, Faith got one more last night, but... "

"We don't know if six is all there were, or if more came though later," Faith nodded. She stood up and looked around. "Right. Lets go meet Giles, and come back later prepared better."

**...**

_**Sunnydale High School Library, later.**_

"The Van Reisen mausoleum, you say?" Giles removed his glasses and stood dangling them from one hand, his brow furrowed.

"Yup." Faith nodded. "At least that's what the carving over the door said." The other two nodded assent, and she added, "Stank like the place we fought them the first time, only worse."

"Hmm," Giles shook his head. "No wonder we weren't getting anywhere. There's no records I've seen of the Reisen family ever dabbling in the black arts, much less the extraordinarily dark ones that would draw denizens of the Dreamlands." He paused, "Nor any artifacts associated with that crypt that I'm aware of."

"Well, _something_ sure has them nesting there," Cordelia said.

"Maybe something in there no one knows about?" Willow suggested.

"How about the Hellmouth?" Faith asked. Everyone looked at her. "What? It feels foul enough to me to draw nasty stuff through."

"You can feel the Hellmouth energies, Faith?" Giles stared at her and began polishing his glasses in an abstracted fashion. "Extraordinary."

"Well, yeah," Faith shifted uncomfortably. "It's like a crawling thing in my gut as soon as I got past the city limits." Her eyebrows went up, "You mean Buffy couldn't feel it?"

"Well, at least not that she even mentioned to me," Giles stated. "You must be remarkably sensitive to such emanations."

"Huh. That were the case, wouldn't they have come through here?" Xander asked. "I mean - the Hellmouth's located right under there," he pointed to a spot on the library floor.

"Don't remind me," Cordelia said. "I had nightmares for _weeks_ about that tentacle thing."

"What the fuck?" Faith shoved her chair back farther from the table, looking alarmed. "They built the damned school _library_ on top of the _Hellmouth_?"

"But... " Willow looked puzzled, "If you can feel it, couldn't you sense it was right there?"

"Naw," Faith pushed her hair back from her face. "After awhile, you get kind of swamped by it, y'know? Then it all becomes kinda one big nasty blur in your senses." She shook her head, "No one place stands out."

"Fascinating," Giles remarked. "We'll have to sit down sometime and discuss your sensations on this to record for the Diaries, Faith."

"_Anyway_," Cordelia said, rolling her eyes. "Nightgaunt, lair, Hellmouth energies? Anyone? Bueller?"

"Ah. Yes, quite." Giles looked a bit embarrassed. "The Hellmouth has been here for a long while, and even the energies associated with the abortive attempts to open it don't seem to have previously drawn through 'Gaunts, ghasts, or similar creatures." His eyes narrowed, "However... "

"However?" Xander prompted.

"However," Giles continued, "It occurs to me that the residual energies from Acathla's brief opening, mixing with the Hellmouth energies, m-might have." He looked thoughtful again, "Just as those residual energies seem to have been responsible for attracting more than a usual number of vampires and demons in what are generally otherwise slow months here."

"Yay. And yet another reason to strike Angelus from my Christmas card list," Xander said.

"Go team," Cordelia said. "Yay."

"Err, quite," Giles replaced his glasses. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he continued, "Willow? Could you perhaps draw up a map of the tunnels and caverns in the area of the Reisen mausoleum on that contraption, and let us see what's under there?"

Willow nodded, "On it Giles." She began pulling up files on her library terminal. After a long while, Willow blinked. "Oh, my. Guess what I found?"

Xander got up and went to lean over Willow's back so he could see the screen. "Huh," he said. "There to... there to... wait! Isn't that... ?"

"What?" Several other voices asked.

"The Van Reisen crypt has an exit that goes into the tunnels and sewers, all right," shaking his head, Xander straightened. "Goes to a branch leading to a main tunnel that heads straight into one of the tunnels that leads to the Master's cavern." He pointed down and into the school.

"The old underground church that's right under the school, near the Hellmouth," he finished. "Talk about a trip down memory lane."

**...**

_**Sunday August 23, 1998; Sunnydale, Shady Hill Cemetery, late evening near sundown.**_

"Ok. Guess we're about as ready as we're gonna get," Faith said, glancing around.

Cordelia and Willow didn't look ready, exactly, but Cordelia looked determined - only the whites showing all the way around her eyes betrayed that she was probably terrified. Willow gulped and nodded, paler than usual. Oz gave her a reassuring grip on the shoulder and she leaned into him.

"Everyone clear on the plan?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes at that, but shrugged, saying, "_Plan's_ being a bit generous, but... yeah." She pointed to the flat crypt roof some fifteen yards away and across from the Reisen mausoleum: "Willow and I lay up there with the airrow rifles ready to shoot whatever comes out. You yank open the door and back away, while Oz and Xander use those," she pointed to the long spears the two males gripped tightly, "To keep anything that comes out from breaking to the sides while you whale on it. Giles uses the Acathla sword on anything he can reach and keeps out of the main melee." Cordelia shrugged. "_Not_ exactly rocket science."

"Dying horribly and in great pain usually isn't," Xander's joke fell flat and he shrugged as everyone glared at him. "Sorry."

The spears had been Faith's reaction to Willow's remark that it was easier to keep things away with long pointy sticks. When she'd asked if they had any spears in the arsenal, Giles had blinked, looking somewhat startled, and produced a pair of long bladed spear points with cross guards from the bottom of a chest in the weapons locker. The poles weren't proper spear shafts, but they'd do - eight foot hardwood poles hastily snagged from Xander's summer contracting supply job.

"And then if the Nightgaunts retreat back into the crypt from the residual sunlight, Xander and Oz hurl those in at them," Giles said, pointing to the improvised Molotov cocktails - bottles filled with kerosene with a rag fuse - dangling for the two boy's belts. "And we press in while they're burning to attempt to finish them." Giles lowered his glasses slightly to peer at Faith over the rims, "It's a rather decent plan, for a hastily put together one."

Faith's lips twitched, but she resisted the impulse to smile. "Faint praise, G?" Giles reddened slightly and started to splutter, and she waved it off. "No worries. You sure that's going to work?" Faith asked, pointing to Willow's rucksack containing spell supplies from Giles office locker.

"Err, ah, no, actually." Giles removed his glasses and began polishing them, "However, it is the best we could some up with on short notice." He glanced up, "Once the Nightgaunts are taken care of, if it doesn't, we can return with a different ritual to attempt to dissipate the residual energy buildup and lessen the chance for any more of them coming through via the Master's old church."

"Cool. 'K," Faith nodded and gave Willow an attempt at a reassuring look. "We do run into more than we can handle once we hit the tunnels, Oz and Xan use their other Molotovs and we backpedal the fuck out of there and try again later."

"Sounds good, I-I think," Willow nodded and put on her resolute face.

"Wasting daylight," Faith stated. "Let's get 'er done. We'll wait until you two wave from the top of the crypt."

Oz's mouth twitched slightly, almost a smile. "No plan ever survives first contact with our allies," he remarked.

"That's what makes it fun."

The little guitarist's pessimism aside, it worked a lot better than expected. There was a groaning creak from the hinges of the mausoleum door when Faith yanked it open, her then backing away with compound crossbow and long dagger held ready. The protesting noise from the door was followed by a long silence filled with no movement as an even fouler stench wafted out of the mausoleum interior.

Apparently, the Nightgaunts disliked even diffuse sunlight. They boiled out - three of them - almost as the small group was about to give up on waiting. Triple eyes blinking rapidly, their skin smoked and blistered where the dim sunlight hit it and they seemed a bit slower, and disoriented, compared to previous encounters. Faith got one crossbow bolt off, burying it in the throat of the center Nightgaunt as it came through the door before dropping the bow and snatching her axe from the ground beside her.

Faith buried her axe into the shoulder, deep into the chest of the first one out as it closed on her. Going over backward beneath its rush, she frantically held it away with her feet as it clawed and snapped, plunging the long dagger into its other side and yanking at the axe handle. Giles darted in slashing at it with the sword, then plunged the blade through its chest from the side as it drew back to snap at him.

Backpedaling, Oz managed to get between one of the others and Faith as Xander jabbed at his, fending it back. Oz jammed the butt of his spear against the ground and braced, impaling the Nightgaunt through the chest to the full length of the spearhead to the cross guard as it lunged at him. Willow and Cordelia peppered both with arrows whenever a clear shot presented itself, reloading frantically.

Shoving with her full strength, Faith managed to push her attacker back and away enough to wrench her axe free and roll out from under it, coming back to her feet in a crouch on Giles' side. She buried the axe blade in its skull, then yanked it and the dagger loose and turned to the others.

Dodging under a thrust, the other 'Gaunt slapped Xander's spear to one side, leaving the head dangling from two feet of broken shaft. A bolt from above and behind them caught it in the skull and rather than press its attack it scuttled backward into the mausoleum entrance. Another arrow caught it in the chest and it snarled, sending a triple eyed glare towards the roof where the two girls were.

Leaving Giles to tug and wrench his sword out of the dead or dying 'gaunt's chest, Faith yelled for Willow and Cordelia to stop shooting and lunged towards the one struggling at the end of Oz's spear. Obviously badly wounded but not nearly out for the count, the Nightgaunt was thrashing and whipping the little guitarist about as he gamely hung on to the end of the spear shaft. Pausing for a moment to make sure no more arrows were incoming, Faith cocked the axe and brought it down as she jumped in.

There was the flick of a lighter followed by a tinkling crash and a whoosh as she struck at Oz's opponent. Moments later there came a shrill, horrid cry and scrabbling, crashing sounds. Faith buried her axe through the spine at the back of the creatures neck and it convulsed, collapsing over the spear.

Flickering light, unearthly howls, and an even worse stench than before came from within the mausoleum.

"Lemme borrow this, mind?" Faith asked. Not waiting for a response, she kicked the twitching Nightgaunt onto its side and yanked loose the spear, hurling it in one motion into the center of the burning mass inside the crypt. There was a screech, and the flames retreated deeper in, moving away in a lurching fashion.

"Help yourself," Oz said, mildly. He bent and scooped his sword from the ground near him, and carefully brought it down across the neck of the Nightgaunt. It twitched again, then stopped moving.

Faith bent forward and rested her hands on her knees, panting, as Xander, Oz, and Giles came over to stand around her. They waited for the two girls to climb down and join them while everyone caught their breath.

"That went pretty well," Xander remarked, leaning heavily on what was left of the shaft of his spear. Faith gave a tired nod.


	9. Bones of Contention: Epilogue

**Bones of Contention: Epilogue**

_**Sunday August 23, 1998; Kaylee's Diner, night.**_

Reaching over, Xander wiped at a smudge on his girlfriend's nose with his forefinger, then shook his head when it didn't wipe off.

"What?!" Cordelia almost went cross-eyed trying to see the end of her nose. "Is it something horrid? It is, isn't it? What?"

"Just a smudge, Cordy, no big deal," Xander told her, trying not to laugh and failing.

"Oh. That all?" Cordelia waved vaguely at her nose and blew wisps of hair out of her eyes. She slumped against Xander's shoulder tiredly, saying, "I thought it was monster guts or something major."

Eyebrows broke out pitons and climbing ropes around the table. "Cordelia Chase not caring if she looks grungy?" Xander shook his head, incredulous. "Definite world ending portents," he said teasingly.

"Oh, I am _so_ beyond that," Cordelia said. "I'll care tomorrow after about twelve hours sleep."

Giles nodded, picking at his breakfast plate. "Yes. I had somehow quite managed to forget how exhausting even a brief combat can be."

"Have to get you back into the field more often, Giles," Willow said. She took a bite of her hamburger, trying not to yawn around it.

"Yup. Thrill of the hunt," Oz said.

"The massive adrenaline junkie fix," Faith chimed in.

"A-an-and the sense of accomplishment!" Willow added.

"Life on the edge," Faith agreed, winking at her.

"Sheer exhaustion," Giles added.

"The bone numbing terror," Xander added.

"Loss of bladder control," Cordelia remarked, looking down at Xander's lap.

"Hey!"

"Depends. Don't face the undead without them," Oz observed sagely.

"Thank you, however, I believe I shall pass," Giles said. "Adult diapers tend to make one's trousers bunch."

"Whoa," Faith stared at him, eyes widening. "Did Giles just make a joke, or am I really that tired?"

"Ah yes," Xander put on an atrocious Marlin Perkins voice. "A sighting of the rare and elusive Giles Quip in its native habitat. These shy creatures are rarely seen, yet ever lurking, hidden carefully beneath the tweedy undergrowth ready to pounce upon the unwary. Watch now as Jim prepares to grapple with this one... "

Giles looked askance at him, his lips twitching slightly. "I'm not certain which is more appalling: that accent, or the fact that you've actually _heard_ of Wild Kingdom, much less seen it."

"One word, G-man," Xander smirked, holding up a finger, "Late-night cable reruns." He frowned slightly, "Ok, that's three words."

"I always did have to help you with math homework," Willow remarked, giggling.

All of them were exhausted and more than a bit giddy following the fight, then the long trek through the tunnels to the Master's cave, the energy dispersing ritual, and the walk back out again. Except for the constant strain of staying wary in the tunnels, expecting constantly to be faced with more Nightgaunts, the rest of the encounter had been almost routine. They'd found Oz's spear still embedded in the smoldering Nightgaunt partway down the tunnel, and Faith had finished it with her axe after putting a crossbow bolt through its head. No more had been seen or encountered.

Not that the mausoleum had been a picnic even deserted. Bones, shredded clothing, and parts of bodies scattered about within spoke of human victims dragged back to the lair...

Afterwards, they'd headed to the vehicles and decided to head to Kaylee's for coffee and post-slay meals and dessert.

"I must thank you for the invitation to join your post-slaying repast," Giles said. He successfully stifled a yawn, and added, "Even if weariness does preclude my being more demonstrative in my enjoyment."

"Don't worry about it," Cordelia said. "We're almost always dead on our feet when we make it here - I don't think they'd know what to do with us if we ever showed up wide awake."

"Probably start preparing for world endage?" Willow said, yawning.

"Duck and cover," Oz agreed, nodding.

Giles gave up on his plate, pushing it towards the center of the table and picked up his coffee cup to sip from it. "I must admit I had a bit of an ulterior motive in joining you tonight."

"There's a law," Faith said in a cautioning tone. "You can't warn us of the world ending right on the heels of the last apocalypse."

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Giles chuckled. Everyone looked at him curiously. He removed his glasses to polish them while the waitress cleared their plates and brought refills. After she'd gone, he continued, "No, merely that it's come to my attention that I've been a bit remiss on something I _should_ have brought up nearer to the beginning of the summer, if not before."

"What's that, Giles?" Willow asked, curiosity causing her to perk up slightly.

"Wel, I had rather thought to offer the four of you the opportunity to train with myself and Faith, if you should wish to," Giles said. Faith glanced at him sharply, then her dimples appeared briefly before she ducked her head, hiding a smile.

Cordelia's eyebrows went up, "You mean in the 'letting Faith beat on us instead of you' training sense?"

"Or in the 'teaching us weapons and fighting like you do Faith' sense," Xander asked.

"Err, more the latter, I would think," Giles said. "It occurs to me that Faith would benefit from learning how to impart her skills, and since you four seem determined to continue to assist with the slaying, you would benefit from learning more effective means of defending yourselves."

"Hrrrm." Xander looked around at the others, "Fewer broken arms?"

"Fewer concussions," Oz remarked, with a glance at Willow.

"Getting concussed by Faith instead of monsters," Cordelia stated, with an impish look at Faith.

"Hey!" Faith smirked, "I'd be gentle. Kinda."

"Would... c-co- do you think this training could include magic?" Willow asked, the last coming out in a bit of a rush.

"Hmm." Giles looked a bit reprovingly at her, then sighed. "I would prefer to suggest that you didn't dabble in the arts at all, however... given your talent and the requirements of the Hellmouth, it would be better for you to learn with instruction rather than via trial and error." He frowned slightly, "I however may not be qualified. I may have to do what I can while searching for someone who is and who would be interested in teaching."

"Cool," Willow beamed, then looked uncertain as she processed the full statement.

"Can we think about this first?" Cordelia asked. "I'm too sleepy to process anything right now."

"Certainly," Giles nodded. He looked at Cordelia, "While I don't really consider cheer leading a sport, it does occur to me that the fitness required plus your natural athletic ability could make you a natural at some forms of combat."

"Really?" Cordelia looked startled, then beamed at him. "Except for the calluses and broken nails, that's almost intriguing."

"That's my girl," Xander said. "Keeping an eye firmly planted on the important things." He winced as Cordelia elbowed him in the side.

"I'll endeavor to search for martial arts that are certified manicure friendly, Cordelia," Giles said dryly. Glancing at his watch, he leaned over to pick up the check and slid out of the end of the booth. "I fear my resilience has reached its end for the evening. I'll leave you young people to it and totter off, I believe."

"Hate to say," Faith said, yawning, "But I'm gonna have to agree with Giles. I don't think I can even care about dessert right now."

**The End**

_**To be Continued in "Night Watchmen" Episode 1d: "Silver, Blood, and Gold"**_


End file.
